Therapy for the Heart
by iloveolitz
Summary: RATED M FOR FUTURE SPICE/LANGUAGE...Olivia is a southern beauty visiting her grandmother when she gets some terrible news. Fitz is the handsome owner of a local market. They meet and of course, sparks fly. Join olitz in this emotional tale of love, tragedy, and therapy of the heart. Sorry for the awful summary. MY FIRST FANFIC! OLITZ IS ENDGAME! I DON'T OWN SCANDAL! Just borrowing!
1. Chapter 1

Although Olivia was originally from the south, the heat hadn't gotten any easier to handle. She sat on the porch of her grandparent's 2 story home fanning her face and watching her grandmother (affectionately known as Nana) clear some weeds from her flowerbed. What was supposed to be a quick trip back to her roots to visit had become a trip with no expiration date when she overheard her Nana and mother in a private conversation. After an exhausting day of church in the Baptist fashion, Olivia just wanted to get some water and lay down. Not that she wasn't religious-but she definitely wasn't used to staying in church so long and visiting almost EVERY member afterward. As she tiptoed down the stairs and got her glass of water, she noticed the light on in the office. Her grandfather's study. She knew if Nana was in there, something was up. She eased up to the door thinking she would just catch a few moments of the conversation that seemed to grow louder as she got closer.

"If I have to tell you again, I will scream!"

"Ma, you do realize you are gonna have to tell Livvie eventually, right?" Maya Pope was trying to soften the blow she knew was coming if she kept prodding Elizabeth.

"Maya, I don't have that much time left with my grandbaby. Do you think I wanna spend it with her giving me sad eyes and watching my every step!?" Elizabeth was becoming more and more aggravated. She had NEVER taken orders from anyone (aside from her late husband) and she sure was NOT about to start now.

Olivia's eyes grew wider. She didn't notice her glass beginning to get wet in her hands VIA condensation….

"Yes Ma'am, but don't you think all this would be easier on Olivia if it wasn't a surprise?"

"…..That very well maybe…but I have it taken care of. Trust, child!"

Olivia felt as though someone was taking all of the air from her lungs. She felt light headed and struggled to maintain her footing as she leaned closer and closer to the door of the study, immediately piecing together the puzzle. Nana was sick? Why didn't she tell her? Why was it supposed to be a secret? And how did she know she only had a little time left? This obviously was something that had been going on.

Olivia did her best to walk back towards the stairs. She knew this had to be addressed, but she also knew that Nana would probably lay into her real good for eavesdropping. She walked towards to stairs and began her climb, not noticing sweat from the water she was carrying leaving a trail on the floor. When Nana emerged from the office, she noticed the droplets on the floor. _God, help me _she thought.

Olivia hadn't addressed what she heard. Instead, when the time came for her to end her visit, she casually came up with an excuse to stay longer. She told Nana that there was a few people she hadn't seen in a while coming back into town and she wanted to stick around. A few days later, Olivia had confided in her about Jake and how her engagement ended. Elizabeth knew this was a sore subject for her Livvie, but she sat and listened as Olivia explained everything to her and asked if she could stay a little longer to clear her head. She agreed partly because she wanted to make sure Olivia was Ok, but Elizabeth knew what she was doing. She also knew in order to make the news of her cancer a little easier on her, Olivia needed to initiate the conversation and feel as though she had some control.

"Liv, dear, I know you are hot. Go inside and cool off. I know Washington D.C. doesn't have humidity like this," Elizabeth said. She was growing more and more tired of Olivia sitting and staring at her as if she would break.

Olivia jumped out of her memory, realizing she hadn't been paying much attention to Elizabeth. "No Nana, I'm fine right here. I was actually getting ready to ask if you wanted my help?"

Elizabeth eyed her suspiciously. Olivia was growing more and more nervous, desperately not wanting her grandmother to find out the real reasoning behind her actions.

"Child, I don't need any help. I'm just fine." Olivia sighed ever so lightly, and leaned back in her rocking chair. Since finding out the news, she had gotten VERY little sleep and it was starting to show her frustrations little by little.

Elizabeth noticed the change in Olivia's attitude and decided on another course. ANYTHING to get her away for a while. "Oh goodness. My glove has a hole in it. Livvie?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Do me a favor, sweet girl?"

Olivia's ears perked up at this. "Sure Nana, what is it?"

"Run down to the Grant's market on 9th…or is it 10th? Anyway, I need a new pair of gloves please. Lord knows I don't wanna get dirty under my nails!"

"Yes ma'am." Olivia knew she needed to stretch her legs and clear her mind and although the heat was TOO much, walking would do just the trick.

Elizabeth caught her off guard when she tossed the keys to her 2010 Lexus RX300. "Take my car, honey. No use in walking that far."

"Oh, hey boss! How's your day going?" The young employee slipped his feet back on the floor as quickly as he could when he noticed the owner reaching for the door.

"Hey Alex, slow day?" Fitz smiled at the young boy. He took notice to the earphones around his neck and the unlocked phone on the counter in front of him.

"Yes sir…I actually just got a phone call from the delivery company. They should be here with that new shipment of flowers within the next hour."

"Ok, thanks…Maybe you could find something a little more **productive** to do until then?" Fitz was not one to pull rank on his employees, especially the kids, but he took every opportunity he could to instill good work ethic. Something he thought was missing from today's youth.

"Yes sir, I'm on it!" Alex said as he jumped to his feet, shoving his phone in his pocket and disappearing down the furthest isle he could find. Fitz chuckled to himself. At 6"2 and 210lbs, it was easy to get someone's attention. His broad shoulders and height usually did the trick. Bearing the signature Grant crystal blue's, chocolate brown curls, and panty dropper smile, he strolled back towards the office of the store and closed the door behind him. He had taken over the store since his father, Gerry "Big Gerry" Grant had passed away. He was very reluctant because although he grew up in this store as a child, it carried Big Gerry's bad reputation towards people as well. He sat down at his desk, eyeing a few reports when there was a knock on the door.

"Yes?"

"Hey Mr. Grant, it looks like rain. Should we start to move the displays back inside?" Quinn was standing at the door looking very nervously at her boss. He knew she had a crush on him, but she was not his type. Not to mention, she was his best employee and the daughter of a very prominent family friend.

"Yes Quinn, that's fine." He shot her a small approving smile and just like that she was gone.

Fifteen minutes later, he was still in his office when he noticed the lights begin to flicker. He stood up and walked over to the window, noticing the clouds begin to take on an ugly grey look. _Great, _he thought. The wind was blowing and it looked like the clouds were going to burst at any moment. He walked out into the lobby and glanced around the store. Alabama had two tornado seasons, and this was the spring one. Most of the patrons had cleared out of the store because of the impending storm, but he noticed a small grey SUV pull into a parking space.

Olivia spotted the store and whipped the car into a close parking space. When she reached for her purse, the bottom fell out and before she could open her car door all the way, it was POURING rain. She quickly closed the door, glanced in the backseat, and noticed a small umbrella on the floor. She opened it and made her way up to the door. To say she was wet was an understatement. The rain seemed to be coming from all directions. _Great, now I'm going to be soaking wet. Maybe I should have waited for it to slack off some,_ she thought to herself. She had been stuck in her thoughts of Nana and hadn't even noticed the sky beginning to take on a mean look. As she reached for the door, it opened and what stood in front of her made her forget that it was raining or that she was wet. She slowly lowered the umbrella, taking notice to the amazing biceps holding open the door in front of her. She shifted her gaze and got lost in the most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen.

"Hi."

"um….Hi."


	2. Chapter 2

AUTHORS NOTE: Hey yall! Ok, so this is my first fanfic and I am so excited! I have been wanted to write a few stories and this idea came into my head. I LOVE everything OLITZ and I would love any reviews. S/O to KWsGladiator for being so sweet and "welcoming" me to the community! I will try to update this regularly. This chapter is just setting up what's to come….but it's Olitz! Who's complaining?

Here's Chapter 2!

CH 2

"Hi."

Olivia's mouth kept the "o" shape for about 5 seconds before she realized she was gaping at him.

"um…Hi."

"Come on in before you drown," Fitz joked as he instinctively grabbed her hand. _SHOCK. _He looked down at their connected hands at the same time she did and finally took notice to her for the first time.

_Thank you, God! _Fitz watched as she fumbled with her umbrella and purse. He was in awe at the gorgeous creature in front of him. She stood about 5"4 with beautiful chocolate orbs and the smoothest skin he could ever remember. Even though she was dripping wet in her fitted capris that hugged her ass in all the right ways and lime green and pink layered tanks, Fitz could tell she was even more beautiful under all those layers. For a moment, his mind slipped and he wondered what it would be like to run his hands up and down her back until he reached her shapely…

"Hello? Did you hear me?" Olivia was coming back to her senses.

"Um…no, I'm sorry miss...what was that?" Fitz felt himself grow a few shades red as he knew she caught him checking her out.

She smiled at him, "I said thank you for your help and asked where the gardening supplies were?"

"Oh, um. Sorry. This way, ma'am." Fitz was at a loss. He wasn't one to stumble and trip over words, but the creature in front of him proved there was definitely a first time for everything. As he led her to her destination, he was thankful that she couldn't see how excited she truly made him. _Get it together, Fitz. _He chastised himself as he walked halfway down the aisle to show her the supplies. "Here you go. Something you need in particular?"

Olivia gave him a cheeky smile. "Gardening gloves, please?"

"Right this way." He glanced down at the floor as he came to the gloves on display. "Forgive me, but you don't come off as the type who would need these." He noticed the pink and green toms on her feet.

She followed his gaze to her feet and followed his eyes as they travelled up her body and back to her lips. _Why is he making me feel this way? Dammit…._

"No, they are for my Nana. Here, these will work just fine. Thanks."

"No problem…is there anything else you ne-"Fitz was about to offer to check her out when Alex interrupted, "Hey boss, is there anything else you need me to do?"

"No Alex, you can go as soon as it slacks up. Thank you for everything today."

Olivia took the chance to give him an onceover while he spoke to the young boy. She noticed the sexy superman curl that dipped onto his forehead. He was wearing a royal blue button up and grey slacks. She could make out some SERIOUS definition in his arms and legs. The way his Adam's apple bobbed when he spoke, the sincerity in his voice as he spoke to the young man. Not to mention the amazing aroma he put off. His cologne alone was enough to make her imagine interlocking her legs with his in bed and laying her head on his….

"Miss?"

Olivia was pulled from her daydream. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked if there was anything else. If not, I'd be happy to get you taken care of." The way his eyes gleamed when he said that made Olivia's heart jump. _What is wrong with me? I don't know this man!_

"This will do. Thank you." She turned to walk back up the isle and couldn't help but notice how he caught up to her and placed his hand on her lower back. When he removed it to round the counter and get to her checked out, she felt a slight twinge of sadness.

"So….I thought I knew everyone in the area. Are you from around here?" Fitz asked as he moved ever so slowly. He was trying to balance being captivated by her eyes, work the cash register he didn't care for, and try not to look like a creeper all at the same time.

"No…well, yes, Kind of. My grandmother still lives here. I'm here visiting her. She sent me here I guess because she was growing tired of me…wait. I'm sorry I am rambling…." Olivia couldn't believe how much she was sharing with this man. She didn't even know him!

"It's perfectly fine. I'm Fitz, by the way. And you are….?"

"Olivia. Pope. "

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Oliv- wait, as in Elizabeth Pope?" Olivia locked eyes with him again when he said this.

"Yep, the one and only in these parts. I hope you know her on a good note?"

"Oh yeah, she's one of my faithful customers. Very sweet woman unless you get on her bad side." Fitz thought back to the last time he saw her. She just purchased a new pair of gloves last week. He wanted to ask why she needed more, but decided to file that bit of info in the back of his mind for now.

He sacked up her gloves and handed her a receipt. "It's on the house."

"What? No way, I can't let you do that. How much?"

"Livvie, its fine. Really."

The use of her childhood nickname didn't go unnoticed. In fact, it put a pause in her attempt to find her debit card.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to get in trouble by tryna impress me." _Wait, am I flirting with him? I guess so…_

Fitz stifled a laugh, "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. The boss is pretty laid back and if he saw you, he would probably give you that and a little more. _I would give you anything you wanted at this point…_

She grabbed at the bag and their fingers grazed one another again. Another SHOCK. They looked at each other for a moment and it was as if they were communicating without speaking.

_Man, I can't let her get away this soon. _Acting on impulse, Fitz changed the subject quickly.

"So, how long are you in town for? I'd love to see you again." _Ballsy, Fitz…._

Olivia took a deep breath and averted her gaze. He noticed something change in her eyes. Sadness? "Actually, I'm not sure. I live in D.C. and I rarely get a chance to visit. It has definitely had an effect on me. Part of me doesn't really wanna go back, but…" Olivia let her thought drift away.

"Are you staying with Elizabeth?" Fitz had been to Elizabeth's house a few times to deliver and help out with a few things.

"I am..." Olivia casually eyed his ring finger. _Gorgeous man, no ring? What's the catch?_

As if he could read her mind, he replied "Well, I'm just a good ole country boy with nothing to do in the evenings and as great as Elizabeth is, do you think maybe you can get away for dinner?"

_Smooth, _Olivia thought. _Ok, I'll bite…._

"Hmmmm, Maybe so Fitz." She flashed a genuine smile at him and he could swear he felt his penis jump involuntarily.

"Well…Can I have your number?" Olivia raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at him and he felt like a kid caught with his fingers in the cookie jar. _Please don't say no….._

During this exchange, Olivia noticed how the rain began to slack up. She turned on her heels to leave, then peered over her shoulder and said in a seductive voice, "you know where to find me." _Yeah, I gotta get out of here…what has gotten into me? Man, I know what I want to get into me…._

Fitz smiled politely and hastened over to hold the door for her, almost tripping in the process. _Keep it cool, Fitz. _She got to her car door, winked her eye at him, got into the car, and drove off. And just like that, she was gone.

Fitz stayed in the doorway watching her car until it made a left and disappeared around the corner. _Oh, no you don't. You aren't getting away that easily. _He locked the door, turned the closed sign to face outward, and retreated back to his office.


	3. Chapter 3

CH 3

Author's Note: OOOWWWEEE! 3 Chapters in one night! I am having so much fun writing all this! Enjoy, and as usual, leave me reviews to ponder over…

Olivia was almost home when she received a phone call. Her mother kept her on the phone long enough to get back and use the excuse that nana needed her gloves. Not that she didn't want to talk to her mother, but Fitz was still occupying her mind.

She got out of the car and noticed Nana was already in the house. The light for the kitchen was glowing thru the window. She went inside, locked the door, and armed the alarm.

"Nana, you have to remember to put the alarm on the house when you are in here. Especially when you are alone."

"Child, I don't need no alarm. My momma and daddy didn't have one. The only alarm they needed was the racket of somebody in the house. Quit worrying so much."

"Yes ma'am." Liv had witness several times in the past what happened when someone badgered her Nana about something and she was NOT about to go there. She sat down at the table watching Nana at the counter. Above nana's head was a picture of her and her pop-pop. Elijah Pope was a well-known chef in the area and used to own his own restaurant. He taught Liv what she knew at a young age and liv had taken a lot of her lessons with her when she moved to D.C. for work. She missed him terribly, but didn't mention him a lot to her nana. She didn't want to upset her.

"The car ok?" Nana broke liv out of her thoughts.

"Yes ma'am."

"Anything happen while you were gone?"

"…..no ma'am. Why do you ask?" _Shit, I hope I don't look that obvious…_

"You are quiet." Olivia looked at her Nana with a look that said _aren't I always?_

"Nana knows everything, remember? By the way, thank you for my gloves." Nana sat a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup in front of Olivia and herself and they began to eat in silence after nana said grace.

"Nothing happened. The car is fine…" Olivia deliberately left out the part about meeting someone….

"Did you meet someone?" _Shit. Fuck. _

"Um…just a kid at the store. The rain had cleared everyone out pretty quickly to begin with."

"Oh, ok. Was Fitz there?" Olivia almost choked on a carrot at the mention of his name.

"Fitz?" _Stay cool, liv. "_I think that was the guy who checked me out. Nice gentleman, maybe mid 30s?" _yeah, he checked me out alright…I checked him out too…._

Elizabeth wanted to burst her bubble and tell her that he had already called to make sure it was ok to pursue Olivia, but she decided against it. She wanted to see where Liv's mind was first.

"Did he say anything to you?"

"Anything like what, Nana? Are you expecting an order or something?" Olivia was trying not to show much emotion towards him.

Elizabeth looked at her granddaughter. She saw so much of herself in her. She chuckled to herself, knowing she would answer these questions the same way if she was talking to her own grandmother. She decided to give a little….

"Well, he sure had a lot to say to me about you." Elizabeth continued to blow the soup on her spoon.

"Yeah, I'm sure he di- wait….you talked to him?" Elizabeth noticed how Olivia's eyes brightened at the news.

"Yup."

"Nana?"

"…..Hunh?"

Olivia stared at her Nana until she took a deep breath and started to explain.

"Oh, alright girl. Fitz called here about ten minutes before you came. You know, around here we usually have a person CALL before they just show up at your house like that." Nana was eyeing Olivia suspiciously.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry, Nana. I was gonna ask you about him…"

"Sure you were, honey. Liv, I will tell you this and I'll leave it alone. Don't you open that door before you close the other one. You hear me?" Elizabeth was referring to Jake and the broken engagement.

"Yes ma'am." Olivia continued to sip her soup. No way in hell was she gonna tell her Nana that she didn't care for Jake anymore or that the breakup was her idea and felt like the best thing she could have done. Nana would get rip her a new one for sure because the way she was raised, you didn't just fall in and outta love like that. Marriage was a HUGE step and something you didn't play around with. If Olivia told Nana how she ended it and didn't give a flying hoot what Jake did…

"Olivia?" Nana was getting irritated.

"Yes ma'am. I hear you."

Nana was finally satisfied. She had heard the answer she wanted. Olivia tried to clean the dishes for her, but Nana said no, of course, so Olivia retreated upstairs for a shower. She changed into a pair of yoga pants and a fitted tank and pulled her hair into a ponytail. She glanced in the mirror, making a personal note to straighten her hair again since it got wet and went to bed. She laid in bed staring out the window with a lot on her mind.

_I wonder what he's doing right now….._

Fitz made it home about an hour later. He honestly didn't even remember the drive home. The conversation he had with Elizabeth played over and over in his head.

"Hello?"

"Uh, hey Elizabeth. It's Fitz. How are you doing?"

"Hey Fitz, I'm good, and you?" Nana's intuition already told her what this was about. Olivia was strikingly beautiful and she knew Fitz would notice.

"I'm good. I was calling to brag on your granddaughter. She was very sweet today in my store."

Nana sighed. _Here we go, _she thought. "Fitz, my Liv is 28 years old. If she can't handle herself in a store properly, then I did something wrong in raising her as a child. What can I help you with, son?"

Fitz scratched his head as he sat back in his leather chair. "Yes ma'am, well, I was wondering if it was ok with you if I….I mean, you know, I just thought that maybe we could….well, you see Elizabeth, I was hoping that I could…" Fitz couldn't form a proper sentence. He was so afraid of screwing this up with Elizabeth and he HAD to see Olivia again. He COULDN'T mess this up…

"Fitzgerald, son, she's a grown woman. She can make that decision on her own, ok? I appreciate you calling to get permission, and I thank you, but you can show me respect by doing right by her. You understand me, son?"

"Yes ma'am, I sure do. I was calling to make sure it was ok if I stopped by one day. Didn't wanna just show up and blind side you."

With Elizabeth's permission, Fitz decided it was ok to put his plan in motion. He finished everything he had to do that night, took his shower, and got in bed donning a pair of boxer briefs. He was about to fall asleep when a familiar ringtone shattered his good mood.

"What is it?" Fitz didn't mean to sound so irritated, but truth be told, he was.

"Hello, sweetie! How are you doin tonight?" _Sweet Jesus, why me?_

"I'm fine, Mellie. You?"

"I'm good now. Listen, I didn't mean to bother you, but I was wondering if we could…" Fitz didn't let her get her sentence out.

"What mellie? Go out on another date? Let's just be honest with each other. The first date was a mistake. The second one will be COMPLETE torture." He heard her gasp on the line.

"Well, I was just wondering if…" He cut her off again

"I gotta go. Goodnight, Millicent." With that, Fitz ended the phone call. _Ugh, _he thought to himself. He laid in bed picturing the beauty that graced his presence today. She looked so carefree in her bright colors and spoke so freely. She was intelligent, witty, flirty, and the aura he got from he was ALL good. He began to drift off to sleep imagining the pillow he had a vice grip around with his arms was her. He began to relax and eventually, he fell asleep with Olivia Pope on his brain.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: AHHHHH! Ok, I posted 3 chapters last night and the reviews have been AMAZING! I am so happy with the response I received! I got suggestions like make the chapters longer, and so here you are! I am in love with these two! I think their love will be declared, but it will be harder to realize with everything going on in their (mainly Liv's) life. Stay tuned!**

**Just in case you have any doubt, OLITZ is endgame and will be in an ANY story I write about them. Enjoy and please continue to bless me with your opinions! **

CH 4

Over the next few days, Fitz saw glimpses of Olivia in passing. He watched her whip the Lexus into the nearby gas station from inside. So she didn't think he was stalking her, he stood behind a nearby shelf, watching her pick up Reese's and pay to fill up Elizabeth's gas tank. He saw her across the street from the market at the local book store as well and wanted so badly to walk up and say something.

Olivia noticed him at both the gas station and the book store, but she didn't want to seem desperate, even though it took every fiber in her being to not stroll up to him and take charge of the situation.

Eventually, Elizabeth grew tired of hinting around and NOT getting the answer she wanted. She decided to take matters into her own hands. She called the market and asked Fitz to come by and help her in her garden for a little while. Fitz of course was more than delighted to come by, never mind being able to see Olivia again. Elizabeth just "forgot" to tell Olivia that he was coming by.

Fitz was over the moon. He was excited to get to see Olivia and even more excited that Elizabeth was onboard with it. He asked Quinn to close the store that evening and left early. He showered and dressed in a green polo, tan cargo shorts, and a nice pair of converse. He didn't want to seem like he only came to see Olivia, but he also wanted to be dressed to get dirty too. He grabbed his keys and phone and as soon as he opened his front door, Mellie had fixed her hand to knock.

_Seriously….?_

"Fitz! How ya doooin today?" Mellie asked him, dragging the 'O' in DOING out way longer than it should be and flashing what he imagined to be all 32 of her teeth.

"Mellie. What can I do for you today?" Fitz was in a hurry to get going, but apparently Mellie was in a hurry to go nowhere. She slipped in under his arm and right thru the front door.

"I just wanted to come by and say hi. Seems like we never get to spend time together."

_She CANNOT be serious, _Fitz thought. _This woman is working my LAST NERVE. _

Fitz turned on his heels with the door still wide open about to gesture for her to leave. He had never been one to be rude, especially to a woman, but this one didn't seem to understand that fat meat was greasy. Before he could say anything, she opened her trench coat and revealed ABSOLUTELY NOTHING underneath it. He quickly covered his eyes as he felt violated.

"Christ, Mellie, what are you tryna do?" Fits was growing angry with his hands over his eyes. He felt as though he had walked in on his sister or mother nude.

"Well Fitz, should I spell it out for you?" Mellie was walking over to Fitz in a slow but steady manner. He could tell she was moving closer because the cheap perfume she was wearing caused his nose to tickle.

He took a step backward, easing the door closed slightly, but not all the way. "Millicent, put your clothes back on. I don't have time for this mess today."

By this time, Mellie was right up on him and leaned forward to brush her nipples against his chest. "You sure, Fitz? Your mouth says no, but your…"

Fitz was fed up. He grabbed her wrists, stopping their decent towards his groin and yelled, "ENOUGH! I asked you to get dressed and get gone. You don't seem to understand what I'm saying." By now, Fitz had moved her backwards towards her coat, keeping distance between them as if she had been skunked and smelled bad. "Put your coat back on, and go. I am NOT INTERESTED. Why can't you see that?"

Mellie finally caught his drift (or part of it) and slipped her arms back through her sleeves. "I see. You are about to leave out and don't have time for a quickie. NO PROBLEM, FITZY. I will just come back another time." And with that, she sauntered out the door, looking back over her shoulders to blow him a kiss, and made her way back to her car.

Fitz slammed the door. _I can't win. I swear, I can't win, _he thought as he ran his hands through his hair. He felt violated, as if someone had spit all over him and knocked him down into mud. He began to climb the stairs, stripping off clothes as he got further and further up and immediately took another shower until he couldn't smell her stench any longer.

/

Olivia sat with her legs crossed in the kitchen waiting on water to boil. She was in the mood for tea and Nana had been trying to hide a cough from her all day. She figured she could coerce Elizabeth into the tea as a kind gesture. She thought wrong.

When the kettle whistled, Elizabeth came into the kitchen walking towards the refrigerator.

"Um, Nana, you want some tea?"

"Child, no. I don't drink no darn tea. Not hot anyway." Nana was reaching for a bottle water when Olivia decided it was time to put her foot down.

"No, Nana. I heard your cough today. You need something to ease your throat a little and this tea will do JUST that. I don't want to hear another word of it. Put the water back and come get this tea." Olivia wasn't sure where this outburst came from, but she was sure where it COULD lead her.

"Excuse me? Girl, I know like HELL you ain't using that tone with me." Elizabeth was now facing Olivia. At 5"6 and about 115 LBS, she didn't look like much of a battle…unless you had seen her win a war.

Elizabeth was getting angry, but when she locked eyes with Olivia, she knew it was time to come clean. "Sit down, Liv. I think it's time we talked." Olivia could feel tears begin to sting the back of her eyes. She wasn't ready to hear what she knew was about to me said to her. As she sat down, Elizabeth grabbed her hands. "Liv, -"

The doorbell sounded, breaking up the much needed talk between the grandmother and grandchild. Olivia immediately rolled her eyes, telling her grandmother she would be right back. She made her way to the door, ready to tell off whoever was on the other side. But when she opened the door, she lost her train of thought.

There was Fitz, with a bouquet of white lilies and a pack of king-size Reese's cups. "Hello again, Ms. Pope." Fitz had his nerves in check and was prepared for her wittiness, but when he saw the look in her eyes, he immediately lost his courage and went into protector mode.

Olivia just stood there, shocked.

"Livvie, what is it?" This broke Olivia out of her trance, making her blink furiously trying to mask the tears pooling in her eyes.  
"Uh, nothing….I'm…well, I…"she looked back toward the kitchen. _Why do I want to tell him so bad what's on my mind…_

"Livvie?"

She turned back to him, "I'm good. Nothing is wrong. What're you doing here?"

Unconvinced, Fitz fidgeted his hands, trying to get her to make eye contact with him again. He could read her as if it was written all over her face. He glanced down at his hands "I was actually invited. You don't look like you are glad to see me at all…"

"NO." She said this a little louder than she intended to. "Uh, it's not that. Please, come in. Where are my manners? Let me take those for you. NANA! You have a guest. And he comes baring gifts!" Olivia smirked at Fitz.

"Actually, these are for you." He gave her that signature Grant smile and could swear he saw a little something in her eyes. _Hope?_

"Me? I thought you said you were invited. I didn't invite you, but you brought me…"Olivia let her thoughts drift off until it CLICKED to her what was going on. "Thank you, Fitz." She gave him her best smile and did a little southern curtsey.

Fitz chuckled, "You are very welcome."

Elizabeth stood back, witnessing the entire ordeal. She was proud of herself, finally feeling like some progress was made with these two. _Bad timing, _Nana thought. _But still, very nice, Romeo…_

"Fitz, darling, come on in. I needed your help, but you took so long to get here, sweetie, I have already solved my problem." Elizabeth smiled at Fitz.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I had some, uh, unexpected guests." Olivia didn't miss the disgusted look that crossed his face when he said this.

"No biggie. Olivia was just telling me she wanted some fresh air. Isn't that right, Liv?" Elizabeth stood grinning like a Cheshire Cat. Olivia shot her a look of shock, and Fitz still stood there smiling.

"I uh, well…sur, I guess." Elizabeth took the flowers from Olivia and shooed Fitz and her out the door. She whispered to Olivia "We will talk when you get back, honey. Don't worry." She kissed her cheek and closed the door behind her.

Fitz and Liv looked towards his truck together. "So, where do you want to go, my lady? Your chariot awaits…" Olivia blushed at his attempt at an English accent.

Olivia thought on this for a moment. _I'm here. I guess there's no use in moping around sad until I leave. What's the harm in seeing what he's about? Apparently Nana approves of him…._

In the most seductive voice she could muster up, she said "Surprise me."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I own NOTHING! Props to SR! Thank you so much for the reviews and follows! In case you haven't noticed, I try to update this story every day. I work and own my own business plus I have a 5 yr old daughter and a fiancé…I am SUPER busy but I LOVE to write! I've rewritten this chapter 3 times to figure out how I want this to go. Hope you enjoy it! **

**Happy reading! **

CH 5

"Surprise me". Fitz thought the way she said this was by far the sexiest thing he had ever heard. He instinctively grabbed her hand and led her towards the street. They walked hand in hand, swinging them as if they were middle school sweethearts. He couldn't help but marvel at how perfect her dainty thin hand felt inside his soft, but calloused one. He snuck a few glances at her face as they walked, taking note a few times that she was looking at him equally as excitingly.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Olivia brought him out of his own mind when she spoke.

"Just glad to be in your company, Livvie." When he smiled, she couldn't help but blush at this.

Olivia began to notice lights in the distance. It was beginning to turn dusk dark and she hadn't been around this way since she arrived in her hometown. "Where are we going?"

He ignored her question. Instead, they got closer to the destination and immediately she recognized what was going on. She tightened her grip on his hand and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"The carnival?"

"Yep. Ready, Livvie?"

She smiled brightly and Fitz vowed at that moment to do whatever it took to maintain that smile on her face forever. He paid their admission and led her inside. They walked around, taking in the sights and making small talk. They approached a pellet shooting game and she told him she wanted the green stuffed elephant on hanging up.

"Your wish is my command," he smirked at her. He shot the bottle off of the mount and the carnival worker gladly snatched the elephant down, handing it to Olivia. She hugged it tightly, reminding him of a small child and making him momentarily jealous of the animal.

"Thank you!" She squeaked.

"You're welcome." She reached to give him a side hug while still clinging to the animal and on impulse, he kissed her temple. To say she was caught off guard was an understatement, feeling both at home and out of place all at once.

"So…what's next?" She asked as she eyed the surrounding games.

They each took turns playing surrounding games, him letting her win a few at first, then realizing she didn't need his help to win, actually losing a few as well. _All in good fun, of course…_he thought.

When they finished playing they made their way out of the gaming area, Oliva stopping in her tracks as she eyed the ferris wheel. "Can we?" she asked him again in her child like voice. She pouted her lips to add to the effect, not knowing this was the biggest distraction to him right now.

"Whatever Livvie wants, Livvie gets." Fitz quickly recovered, watching her pout turn into a smirk.

They were seated together on the ride, side by side holding hands. What Olivia didn't know was that Fitz was extremely afraid of heights. But the pouting action she had give him before made him completely forget about that-until now.

"Isn't it pretty?" She asked him. She noticed how he tightened his grip on her hand when he looked out into the distance.

"Sure is…" he let his thought taper off. She used her other hand to gently massage the top of the one he was using as a death grip. She laid her head on his shoulder and felt him immediately relax under her touch.

"I guess it isn't as bright as the big city back in D.C., hunh?" he asked her.

"You can take the girl outta the country, but you can't take the country outta the girl. The city is always lit up and beautiful, but I grow tired of the constant hustle and bustle-sirens and voices and noise. Sometimes, I miss the south sooo much. " She smiled. Fitz let out a hefty laugh and she was glad he was loosening his grip on her hand since her fingers had started to go numb.

"I'll say. Although, there's nothing wrong with remembering your roots," Fitz was glad the ride was finished. He assisted the ride attendant in opening the safety bar and helping Olivia out of the carriage.

"Wow. This is all so pretty. I remember coming here as a young girl," Olivia said. Fitz watched her face intently until they found a bench to sit on and finally have a quiet conversation. He motioned for her to continue.

"My Nana would always stay home and let my Pop-Pop take me. She was never one for big crowds. She made sure when we got back that she listened to every detail of our trip, though." Fitz began to notice that familiar sadness return to her face. On impulse (again), he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand and she made eye contact with him, wishing he could read everything on her heart without her having to explain it.

After a pregnant pause, she said "You know, you are a really good listener."

"Well, it's easy when you WANT to listen to everything the person is saying." She felt her breath hitch at his confession. _There it is again…I must be really vulnerable to feel all this right now….right?_

As if he could hear her thoughts, he began, "Livvie, I don't know what this is. I don't know what's happening but I pray you are feeling the same thing.

Olivia was speechless. She starred into his beautiful blue eyes and she felt so at ease, it was like they were laced with truth serum. "I feel it too. I feel something, but I'm not exactly sure what it is."

Fitz wanted to badly to ask her if everything was ok. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the sadness in her eyes had something to do with Elizabeth, but he knew better than to pry. Southern women have a special grace about them and she would confide in him if and when the time was right.

He glanced at his watch, "I guess its time I get you back before Elizabeth starts to worry."  
"Right," She said as she took his hand, lacing her fingers with his.

The walk back home was silent. Not in a bad way, but a content silence. Olivia could tell he was trying to be a gentleman, but her northern influence started to kick in. She wanted this to move a bit faster. She stopped walking, yanking his hand as she stopped. 

"Olivia? What is it?" he asked.

"I'm tired," She stated with an over exaggerated yawn.

He immediately picked up on the playfulness in her tone. "How about a piggy back ride home?"

"Hmmmmm…." She pretended to ponder, watching him walk dangerously close to her and turn around. He stooped down ever so slightly and she jumped up on his back, careful not to choke him with her hands around his neck. He grabbed on to the back of her thighs and she tried to ignore the fire touching that part of her body ignited.

"Ready?" he asked her.

"Yup." She said as she adjusted her crossed angles around his abdomen. He almost couldn't contain himself with the wicked thoughts he had at that moment.

"So, let's play a game," she told him. She was incredibly close to his ear talking, but not whispering and not yelling.

"Ok…?" the question in his voice caused her to laugh out loud.

"Relax. I just want to know more about you, "She explained.

"Ok. On one condition. I get to ask you a counter question as well," he challenged.

"Ok. Let's do it."

They continued walking at a steady but slow pace, answering questions from favorite foods to colors to anything else. Olivia learned that Fitz was single, never married, favorite color was royal blue, and liked to keep things simple. Fitz learned that Olivia had a wild side, favorite color being lavender and loved popcorn. When they touched base on previous relationships, she asked to be put down. She was finding it harder and harder to concentrate being so close to him.

"So, you were engaged?" He asked. She was reluctant to explain, but she did.

"I was. It wasn't what it should have been though."

"Hmmm?" Fitz was not curious. What kind of man didn't go out of his way to please a woman as perfect as Olivia?

"Well, for starters, he cheated on me. I wasn't nearly as hurt and that is what bothered me the most because I didn't feel what I thought I felt." _Not what a fraction of what I'm starting to feel for you, _She thought. "But that's neither here nor there. How about you? No lucky ladies?"

Fitz pondered for a moment. True there was no one else, but should he disclose about the stalker formally known as Mellie? Fitz decided since he really felt deeply for her this early, honesty was the best policy.

"I have never been married or engaged. I have gone on dates before, but none of them resulted in anything worth remembering in my department."

Olivia gazed at him for a moment, walking side by side with her right arm linked in his left.

He continued, "There is one female who, for the life of me, I cannot seem to shake off. We went out on a date and that was the end of it for me. It was very awkward for me, but I guess she felt some typa' way about it."

Olivia stopped walking, looked at him, and did her best to hide her chuckle. _Got a little swag, hunh?_

Sensing what she was thinking, he said "Yeah, I've got a little game." They both shared a laugh over this. They were so engrossed in their laughing that neither of them noticed the tall towering figure standing on the top step of Nana's porch. They rounded the fence still linked in arms and still engulfed in laughing when they heard a booming, but gentle voice.

"Olivia?"

"….Dad?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** **Sorry for the delay! Life happened...what can I say? BTW, anyone catch scandal lat night? WOW! Anyways, Here is the next installment of TFTH...**

**As always, thanks in advance for reading and reviewing. ENJOY! :)**

CH 6

"Olivia?"

"….Dad?" Olivia was completely caught off guard. She slowed her steps, absent mindedly tightening her grip on Fitz' arm. "Daddy! What are you-"She began before he cut her off.

"Can an old man get a hug?" Olivia slipped her arm loose and went to her father. Fitz couldn't remember seeing a man as large and proportionate as her father. He stood 6"7 and approximately 270lbs and it all seemed to be muscle. It didn't help that he was glaring at Fitz like he had done something wrong.

"How's my baby girl?" Elijah Pope asked his only child.

"I'm good, dad. How are you? Where's mom?"

"Inside with your Nana. We just decided to take a ride and the car lead us here. Who's your friend?" Olivia felt her face blush. She had almost forgot Fitz was there and she knew her father well enough to know what was next.

"Daddy, this is Fitz. Fitz, this is my father, Elijah-"Her father cut her off to make his own introduction.

"Elijah Pope. Nice to meet you." He extended his hand and Fitz tried to maintain the grip, being as though it was a lot firmer than he thought it would be.

"Fitzgerald Grant. Pleasure is all mine, sir," Fitz told him, turning on the charm.

Olivia's father looked as though he had a lightbulb go off in his head. "As in Big Gerry Grant?"

_Great, another person my father has pissed off. _"Yes sir. That would be correct."

Olivia, sensing where this was going, began to explain how she met Fitz. She stood so solid and firm talking to her dad, while still maintaining respect for him.

"Well, Olivia why don't you go on inside and see what the other ladies are talking about…" Elijah suggested. Olivia eyed Fitz, inwardly hoping he didn't run away.

"He will be right here when you come back. Promise." Elijah finished. Fitz smiled at her as though to say he would be fine and she took that confirmation. She retreated into the house towards the noise she heard.

/

Inside the house, Olivia found her Nana and mother engaged in a fit of laughter. She quickly thought back to what she had overheard on the phone and decided not to rain on the party.

"Livvie! Come here, baby girl!" Maya stood and hugged her only daughter tightly.

"Hi mama, this is a surprise…" Olivia told her mom. She kissed her cheek, locking eyes with Elizabeth who looked like the cat who ate the canary.

The women sat down, and for what felt like hours, exchanged pleasantries, stories, and plans for the near future. Olivia felt a bit out of place since she really hadn't given much thought to returning to D.C. Everything here was going smoothly and with Fitz, she felt like even though their days were numbered, there was no use in rushing back.

Olivia suddenly remembered she had left Fitz in the lion's den. "Um, I'll be right back-"she began to say when his familiar voice cut her off.

"Where ya goin?" Fitz entered with her father close in tow.

"Uh, actually coming out to check on you two. Everything ok?" She asked as she ran her hand up his back and chest. She didn't realize everyone in the room was now staring at her and to be honest she didn't care. The only thing she was worried about was Fitz being ran away.

"I'm fine, Livvie. Right Elijah?" Olivia looked to her father whose face was now a lot calmer too.

"Yep. It's all good."

"Uhhh-EMMM?" Maya Pope waiting for her introduction. After all pleasantries were exchanged, Fitz told everyone he needed to leave. He asked Elizabeth if she needed him to do anything, and Olivia volunteered to walk him out. When they reached the door, Olivia couldn't contain her questions.

"So, what the heck was that?" she asked a little harsher than she intended.

Fitz acted nonchalant,"What?"

"My dad doesn't warm up to people like that. What did you do? Offer shares of your store to him?" Olivia laughed, but was just as serious.

"Nope. I and your father have the same intentions at heart. We spoke like men and I think we came to a mutual agreement."

"Which is?"

Fitz turned around as he got to the gate of the yard, staring back at the inquisitive chocolate orbs focusing on him.

"If you will have me, I'd like to court you properly. I promise to take everything slow and I will make it worth your while." Fitz said as he grabbed her hand.

Olivia pondered for a moment. "I'd like that."

They talked for a few more moments, walking towards the driver side of his truck and still holding hands. He bent down to hug her and kissed her on her cheek before opening the truck door.

"Gee, I hoping for at least a lip peck. I sure hope you don't move too slowly on account of my father." Olivia stopped talking, realizing she had said this out loud. She tried to maintain a straight face while inwardly kicking herself for sounding hot in the ass.

Laughing, Fitz explained to her "All in due time, my Livvie. Sweet dreams, beautiful."

And with that, he was gone.

/

On the way home, Fitz couldn't help but replay the conversation he had with Elijah on the porch that just a short while ago.

_**Flashback**_

_**Fitz watched as Olivia disappeared into the house in search of the other women. He cautiously glanced back around to find some very familiar eyes looking at him. He didn't like the aura they were giving off and if he could help it, he NEVER wanted to see that look come from his Livvie. **_

"_**Ok, let's get one thing straight right off the bat, son. In no way, shape, form, or fashion is Olivia gonna play the part of your puppet." Elijah kept his voice even but the venom couldn't be masked. **_

"_**I'm sorry?" Fitz was a little confused. His aggravation was growing by the minute. **_

"_**This thing with my daughter and you cannot happen. Seems a little Thomas Jefferson Sally Hemming's to me. Let's not forget son, I KNEW your father. I witnessed some of the awful hateful things he did and I will NOT stand back and allow-"Eli was cut off. **_

"_**Sir, with ALL due respect, I am NOT my father. I have no intentions of hurting Livvie (Eli raised his eyebrows at Fitz' nickname for her) excuse me, OLIVIA. There is NO sally or Thomas here. I LOVE HER." Fitz confession shocked him even. **__This quick, __**he thought?**_

"_**My every feeling is controlled by the look on her face. I can't breathe without her, I can't sleep without her. I watch and wait for her. I haven't known her long enough to share these feelings with her, but if she didn't have you all, I would ask her to run away with me." Fitz finally took a breath and dropped his body into one of the chairs on the bed. "I know how I must sound right now, but you have to believe me. What my father has haunted my dreams and reality for since I was little. I cannot change the terrible things he- I AM NOT HIM. HE DOESN'T DEFINE ME." Fitz looked defeated. He felt like the look on Eli's face meant he wasn't hearing anything he was saying to him. **_

_**Eli took a deep breath. All he ever wanted was someone to love his Liv the way she wanted, the way she deserved. Was it possible she found it in this little amount of time? He was knocked out of his thoughts by Fitz' voice. **_

"_**She lives in D.C. I know that, and I want to make this work. When she comes back here to Elizabeth's and I go home, I can't help but think of her all night and all day. She's my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night. From a man to a father, I am asking you to not try to break us apart. I love everything about her and I cannot see myself going on without her. I want your permission to continue to see her. And if you don't grant it, we will probably go on seeing each other anyways." Fitz kept his voice even and low, but not intimidating. He was after all asking permission to date the love of his life. If this man said no, he would still pursue Livvie. This would only make it easier. **_

_**Eli sat on the raining of the porch and studied Fitz. After several minutes, he finally spoke. "Son, When I first laid eyes on Olivia in the delivery room, I knew right then that I hated you." Fitz gave him a puzzled look. Eli semi-smiled, and continued. "I knew I would have any man who thought of my child as anything more than a regular person. The fact that you were man enough to not run away means a lot to me. **_

"_**Sir, I hope you don't judge me from what I confessed to you. I haven't even told her much of this yet." Fitz was blushing. **_

"_**You know, it takes a man to admit the things you just did. Especially to a woman's father. I will allow this for now. Eli stood up and motioned for Fitz to stand also. He grabbed Fitz' hand, and caught his line of vision. "BUT make no mistake, son. If something happens to my child, physically or emotionally and I find out about it, Hell have NO FURY. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" Eli went from understanding future father in law to maniac serial killer in 2 seconds flat. Fitz was impressed-to say the least. **_

"_**Yes Sir."**_

After Fitz replayed the conversation in his head for the third time, he finally had made it home. He went into his house, got ready for bed, and lay there, thinking of the love of his life. He couldn't wait to express his love for her. He knew not to push a woman before she was ready, so he lay there that night and prayed to God that she felt it too.

/

Fitz woke up to the sound of someone knocking on his door. He gazed over to the night stand and realized it read 1:44AM. _Mellie. You cannot be serious, _he thought.

He attempted to ignore the knocking only for it to turn into banging. Deliberate BANGING. Louder and louder. He got up and pulled his pajama pants over his hips, dangerously low and showing the top of his boxer briefs. As he walked to the door, he began to run his fingers thru his hair and rub his eyes, mentally preparing for the word war he was about to have with Mellie.

He snatched the door open with a "WHAT NOW!?" and what he found on the other end broke his heart in more pieces than he could count.

There she was. The love of his life. With her hand raised as if she was about to beat the door in again. He went thru a haze of emotions too quickly, the last one being sadness. It registered to him that the look on her face was not a good one. Her eyes seemed puffy and her hand, still raised in the air, was shaking. He watched her shift her wait from one foot to the other, and he finally noticed the tear stains on her cheeks, which were about to be joined by more since she had a fresh set of tears pooling in her eyes. He went to touch her arms with both his hands, and that's when she did it.

She fell forward into his embrace and sobbed and he did what any regular man SHOULD do….He held her as tight as he could and rocked her back and forth, sitting in front of his closed front door until the sobs became controlled.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: OK, get your tissues ready. This chapter took a lot out of me. It actually brought up some very emotional feelings for me as I lost my grandmother at the age of 11. I remember calling "Mom", and both my mom and granny both answering "Hunh?" I cried writing this. It was hard, but definitely needed to happen seeing as how Nana IS very sick. **

**Anyways, I promise some Olitz moments in here cause hey, who wouldn't take Fitz (or tony for that matter) as comfort during a rough time? Let me know how you guys like "comforting Fitz"**

**FYI, NO I didn't kill off NANA. Not to spoil it for you guys, but some of your messages BEGGED me not to let her die. She is such a big part of this story, and whether she survives or not, her impact WILL BE A LASTING ONE! **

**Ps: there's a part of this chapter that I pulled from a favorite movie of mine. It IS a sad scene….can you guess what movie I referenced from? **

**ENJOY! **

*****I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! JUST BORROWING!*****

CH 7

After what seemed like hours of sobbing uncontrollably, Olivia finally began to calm down, allowing Fitz's arms tight around her body and cologne to comfort her. She was grateful for the way he had opened his arms to her (literally), and her memory was beginning to come back to her. She felt like she had slipped into an alternate universe as she recalled the conversation she had an hour or so after Fitz had left Nana's.

_**Flashback**_

_**Olivia was still floating from the kiss on the cheek Fitz had given her. She practically glided up the steps and into Nana's front door, making sure to lock it and set the alarm. She went into the kitchen, noticing the familiar light on in the study. Pop-pop's study. She felt a familiar uneasiness creep up in her stomach and like last time, she slowly crept up to the door. Silence. **_

_**She leaned a little further in, pressing her ear to the door a bit and heard sniffles, followed by her mother's voice. "Come on in, Livvie."**_

_**Uh oh, she thought. She eased the door open and found her mother sitting in her grandfather's favorite hunter green chair in the corner with her feet tucked under her, a box of Kleenex to her right, and a large picture album. Maya closed the album and smiled at her daughter as best as she could. **_

"_**I'm sorry, Livvie. I was just….. Do you remember your Pop-Pop? **_

_**Olivia pursed her lips into a barely noticeable smile and shook her head no. "I only have a few memories of him," she confessed. She moved slowly towards her mom, taking a seat at her knees like she did as a child. Maya lowered her legs and Olivia lay her head in her mother's lap. **_

_**Maya began to rub her fingers thru Olivia's thick straight locks as she spoke. "I remember learning he was sick. I was a few years older than you are now, and I remember not accepting what was being told to me. Pop-pop had a very weak heart as a child and after his triple bypass, things just didn't get better. I know Nana's love and support for him is what brought him through as long as he made it. I was just as close to him as you are with Nana….." **_

_**Olivia listened as her mother shared stories of her time with her grandfather. She fought tears as her mother's voice began to crack at certain memories. After what seemed like hours had passed, Olivia noticed her mother's hand had frozen in place. She peeped up at her mother watching her give a nod at the door. She turned and saw Elizabeth come in. In this moment, Olivia knew there was no escaping the conversation that was about to unfold. She began to pray that she could survive whatever news she was about to be given. **_

"_**Liv, darlin', come here." Elizabeth motioned for Olivia to come over to the couch diagonal to the chair Maya was in and sit beside her. In doing so, Elizabeth grabbed Olivia's hand and turned so she could look her dead in the eyes. **_

_**Elizabeth began to speak, hoping the "rip the band aid off" method worked best. "Olivia, I have stage 4 cancer of the liver. I found out I had it around 6 months ago. I'm sorry for not telling you this before, baby. I thought I was protecting you. I know you probably have questions as to why your mother and father came here and since you are kin to ME, I know you caught on pretty quickly. We don't raise fools in this family." Elizabeth was grasping for some way to lighten the blow she was certain had taken her granddaughter's breath. It wasn't working. **_

_**Olivia began to speak, but Elizabeth cut her off. "Liv, baby, do you remember your first day of first grade? You were so nervous cause you didn't think anyone would like you. Remember me telling you to get on the bus and sit by the window so you could watch me as you rode off?" Olivia swallowed and nodded, tears trickling down her cheeks in a steady fashion. **_

"_**Baby girl, I need you to take that same seat cause I am riding on borrowed time." This last sentence was Olivia's undoing. She stared straight into her Nana's dark grey eyes, seeing heartbreak and sorrow all surrounded by strength and she began to hyperventilate. She felt like someone was squeezing her lungs like ringing water from wet clothes. She let go of one of Nana's hands, bringing it up to her chest, silently willing God to allow her more air to breathe. By this time, Maya had stood and come over to her daughter, placing her hand on her shoulder. Olivia began to cry loudly, whaling as if she was finally letting out all the sadness and hurt she had built up since first hearing the news a while ago. She felt her head begin to pound and lost the will to hold her head up any longer. **_

_**Elijah heard the commotion from down the hallway. He swallowed the last of his brandy, wiped a lone tear that dropped from his eyes, and made his way to the study. When he walked in the room, he could feel his heart being ripped from his body. Olivia-his baby girl- was struggling to find breath; something he hadn't see her do since she was a teenager waiting for school test results. **_

_**He removed his coat as quickly as he could and made his way to his only child, taking a knee and instantly feeling all of her wait shift onto him as she slumped over and fell in to his embrace. Her face found the crook in his neck and he began to rub slow circles in her back. By now, he was sitting on his backside, legs spread, and his daughter lay in his arms freeing her body of the grief she had pent up. The room was silent except for the sound of Olivia's crying and the occasional sniffle. **_

_**Elijah sat his daughter upright, knowing he needed go get her breathing under control. He gave Elizabeth a slight nod, and with that she bent over to talk to Olivia in her ear as Elijah grabbed ahold of her hands. **_

"_**Liv, baby, look at daddy," Elijah pleaded. She kept her had low and continued to cry. **_

_**Elizabeth got right next to her grandchild and finally got her attention by saying "Olivia, I need you to be strong." **_

_**Olivia looked up at her father. Her eyes were the color of cherries and tears still pooled in them. She mimicked her father's breathing, trying to will her lungs to remember how to work properly. Maya exited the room, the scene before her was too much to take in. Elizabeth looked at her son in law, giving him the silent "OK" to move Olivia back to the couch and let her take over. He kissed Olivia's head and rushed out to find his wife. **_

_**Minutes passed. Olivia finally got her breathing semi-under-control and made eye contact with her grandmother. **_

"_**Nana, please don't give up. You can't just- I mean, I need you to…. Nana, PLEASE don't leave me!" Olivia barely got out before sobs rang from her body again. Elizabeth rocked her sweet grandchild in her lap and soothed her, humming Precious Lord in her ear as she rocked her. This was something she hadn't done since Olivia was a small child. **_

_**Olivia began to calm down, occasional hard sniffles racking her body. Elizabeth took this as a sign to try to continue what she wanted her granddaughter to know. **_

"_**Now, listen here, girl. I need you to focus for me baby cause Lord knows I really don't have a lot of time left. I don't want you tippy toeing around me cause you feel sorry. I don't know when my last day is baby because I refused treatments. I don't need no needles poking and prodding me all in my body. I got more than three score and ten, which is what the good Lord saw fit and I am thankful for my 79 years here on earth. I accept this baby and in order for me to keep a steady mind and heart and NOT be angry for him taking me away from you, I need you to be strong for me too. Can you do that?"**_

_**Olivia stayed in her Nana's embrace for as long as she could, taking in her scent of lilacs and peppermint. She eventually got up, not wanting to run into anyone else that would be tempted to ask her if she was alright. This was the worst thing you could do to her when she was upset and she prayed for some time alone as she went to the bathroom. After closing the door, she stood there staring at the floor and using her arms to hold her body up on the counter, unwilling to look herself in the mirror. When she finally did, she felt her heart breaking all over again. There was only one person she wanted to be with right now.**_

_**Even though it was still a balmy 80 degrees outside, Olivia snuck into the kitchen, past the foyer and to the coat closet. She grabbed a light jacket and zipped it up, running out the door to get away. She felt like she needed to get away. She stopped as she got to the street. She knew who she wanted, but who wanted a female with so much baggage? She began to walk, silently praying for someone to guide her feet to the right place because she had no idea how to get to his house. Her photographic memory set in and she remembered a decal she had seen on Fitz's truck that read "Blair Gated Community" As she walked, she typed the info into her phone, seeing the address and turning on her mental GPS, she was on his doorstep within a matter of about 10 minutes, thankful for minimal security. When he opened the door and raised his voice, she felt like someone had smacked her. If she could have made a sentence or moved, she would have apologized, plead insanity, and ran away. But none of that happened. Instead, when she finally locked eyes with Fitz, her tears returned this time, accompanied with the sobs but minus the panic attack, and her body fell limp again at his touch. She oddly felt out of place and at home at the same time in his embrace.**_

Present

Olivia sat there blinking as her tears began to subside. She knew she needed to say something to Fitz. She owed him this much. She slowly began to pry her body from his grip, needing to see his face. She noticed white lines going down his cheeks, meaning he had been crying with her. _Did he already know, she thought?_

I'm, uh, sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I should go." She began to attempt to stand but her legs had other ideas. Fitz grabbed hold of her, giving her a fraction of his usual smile.

"Nice try, ma'am. Come on…" Fitz wanted so badly to pick her up in a honeymoon threshold carry but didn't want to scare her. For as long as he had known her (not very long to be honest), he had NEVER seen her this upset. He knew something had gone horribly wrong for her to have come to him this way.

He wrapped his arm around her body, guiding her into his spare bedroom. He sat her down, removing her jacket and shoes and left to grab one of his t-shirts and a pair of boxers. "Here, you can wear these until the morning and then I'll take you back on home to Elizabeth's."

The mention of her Nana made a fresh set of tears spring into Olivia's eyes and Fitz knew whatever this was had something to do with Elizabeth. He took a millisecond to thank his lucky stars that this wasn't a scene from a lifetime movie where the father forbids the daughter to see her romantic interest. He shushed her and began to undress her. He removed her shirt and stood her up to remove her bottoms. He'd be lying if he said he didn't look at her matching bra and panties, but he had WAY more respect than that and only wanted to get her comfortable for now. He lay her clothes on the chair in the corner, slipped on his over-sized Alabama Football t-shirt and helped her slip the boxers over her feet and up her hips. He retreated to the dresser, finding a rubber band there and stood in front of her, reaching up behind her head to draw her thick bodily mane into his hands and secure it into a semi high messy bun on top of her head. He kissed her forehead as he did this, silently assuring her that everything was going to be ok.

Not wanting to push his luck, he walked over to the bed and began to move pillows back. He grabbed for her hand and pulled her into the bed. To his surprise she locked her hands around his neck, pulling his face within centimeters of hers. She looked at him with the sad kitty cartoon eyes and he knew what she wanted.

"Please don't go. I know we aren't a couple and I know I barged in here on you and I know-"She ranted.

Fitz saw her going into overload mode and to shush her, he bent down and finally attached his lips with hers. The kiss was a light respectful peck. No tongue, no movements. Just a regular, but calming, kiss on her lips and she immediately quieted down. He pulled back a little, staring into her eyes since he was now squatted down between her legs, He placed his hands on her thighs and said," Livvie, I'm right here sweet baby. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be in the next room if you need me."

With that, Olivia spilled all the details of what got her to this hysterical state. Fitz did his best to hide the shock and hurt he felt, but was sure some of it showed on his face. He could tell by the look on hers.

When she finished telling him what was happening, he decided to hell with it. He lay her back, lifting her legs to the bed, and crawled over her body. He was going to spoon behind her, but she had other ideas, turning to face him and wrapping her arms around his torso. Fitz returned the favor by wrapping his arms around her body, engulfing her into his chest. He told her that they could talk about everything tomorrow, to focus on his breathing, closer her eyes, and relax her mind.

Within minutes, she was asleep and he was left to wonder how he was going to protect her from the pain he knew was right around the corner.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: This will be a longer chapter. **

**-you're welcome! **

CH 8

The sun shone through the window, slightly illuminating Olivia's face through creases in the off white curtains that hung. She saw red before she opened her eyes; a sure sign daylight had approached. Before she opened her eyes, she willed herself, like she did every morning, to get mentally prepared for the day. That's when it hit her.

_I cried. I cried a lot cause my eyes feel really heavy. My body hurts…Nana? Nana's sick. Oh God, My Nana is sick and not going to be around too much-wait…this bed is really soft. Whose bed am I in? I feel…..safe, a little hot, like…someone's breath is on my forehead. What the hell is…?_

Her eyes opened as she vaguely remembered what happened last night. Memories of the night before came flooding back to her and the quiet somberness that was left over sleep wore away, dropping her back down to reality. She focused her eyes, noticing the sun on a pair of biceps and a chest that was evenly breathing. Breathing in sync with her. She looked up a little more and noticed a vein the neck of this gorgeous specimen as it throbbed along with the heartbeat. She took a deep breath out reflex and in a split second, she realized where she was.

_I'm with Fitz. I'm in his arms. I'm in his bed…Did we? NO….what am I wearing? _She glanced down and caught the sight of a crimson shirt with hounds tooth design. She breathed in again. _I feel so….so….I GOTTA GET UP. What the hell did I do? _

Olivia tried to loosen the bear grip around her waist and turned to stare at the ceiling. She inched her head away from his neck, and that's when she saw him. Fitz. This strong man in all his morning glory (which was now poking her in the hip) was lying right next to her, that superman curl she loved so much now dipped down to his eyebrow. She began to panic internally until he spoke, his voice full of sleep.

"Quit it, Livvie."

She cleared her throat, which felt raw. "Quit what?"

"Thinking so hard. You are about to panic again. Don't do it."

"I'm not. I'm just….just…." she let her voice trail off as she got lost in the ceiling fan and its rotations. She felt her breathing begin to speed up again and silently willed herself to breathe normally.

Fitz peeked one eye open and eased himself up on his shoulder, inching closer to her and grabbed her attention from the man-made fan above. "Olivia, look at me."

She obeyed.

His heart broke.

She looked terrified, gripping the covers over her chest as if she was nude. He pulled them from her embrace, drawing them lower until both their entangled legs became visible. She realized she was wearing shorts.

"See? RELAX." Fitz placed a feather like kiss on her cheek that she barely felt and it was as if her breathing calmed itself down.

"Thank you. Thank you for-EVERYTHING." She turned her head to meet his gaze and he noticed her eyes still looked puffy; either way she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.

"It's ok. That's my job."

"What's your job?"

_To spend my life pinning for your and to die miserable and alone, _he thought. "To take care of you."

They rose out of the bed, Olivia taking the guest bathroom adjoined to the room and Fitz going to the master bedroom to freshen up. She finally emerged from the bathroom having brushed her teeth with a spare toothbrush, raked her fingers through her hair, and tried to adjust her oversized clothing on her body. She tied the enormous T-shirt in a knot on the side and exited the room in search of him.

As she walked through the hallway, she noticed several pictures on the wall. An elderly couple, who she guessed what his grandparents. A family portrait, which showed whom she assumed, was Fitz' mother, himself, and a younger girl and boy. She remembered the two siblings from their earlier conversations as Natalie and John Grant, Fitz' younger siblings.

She stood still to examine the other photos, mentally taking note that she didn't see a father figure in any of the pictures. She was so lost in thought she didn't hear the door behind her open and him step out. He grazed her shoulders with his hands, massaging them gently, and then drug them down her arms and eventually turning her around to face him. She sighed, leaning her forehead and aiming for his chest but instead, lightly landing on his lips.

"Are you ok? Is there anything I can get you?" Fitz concern was on an all-time high. Sure, he had witnessed women upset. His ex's, sister, aunts, cousins, friends…but none of them measured up to the hurt he felt when he saw his Livvie upset. It reminded him of the day his mother decided to file for divorce from her racially aggravated husband of 26 years and his father.

"I'm fine." Olivia's body tensed up and Fitz began to rub circles in her back. She tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her.

"I'm fine," she repeated. This time she had a little bit of force behind her words.

"I'm not." Fitz told her. She locked eyes with him and saw all the comfort and peace she wanted buried deep within them. She felt foolish for him coming to her rescue. This relationship, or whatever it was, was still so fresh and she was already feeling needy.

As if on que, Fitz stated "You are safe here. No judgement. I'm the man. You are the woman. This means I take the brunt of whatever is going on. I worry for the both of us and you try to remain relaxed. Can you do that for me?" His eyes bore into her soul and she couldn't help but to agree.

They made their way to the kitchen where Fitz began to gather ingredients to make breakfast. He decided on fresh vegetable omelets, which she knew had to have come from the produce part of the market. They ate in slightly awkward silence. After they finished, Olivia stood to gather dishes, which of course he stopped, and he placed them in the sink for her.

"Listen, thank you for everything, but I can do some-things. I'm not physically hurt, you know. I'm not that girl you save Fitz. I'm fine and if we are going to make this work you have to allow me SOME room to move."

Fitz halted his movements, taking in everything she said. He turned on the water, took the sprayer out of the holder and handed it to her. She began to rinse the dishes and he turned on his heels, inwardly in awe of this amazing woman. Only four hours ago, she had woken him up with her sobs again in her sleep, and here now in the daylight she was able to put up this façade of strength. He prayed some of what he saw was real and not all for show because he didn't know if he could stand to watch her fall apart as she had done last night again-or worse, harder than she already had.

With his back turned, he decided to test the waters with her again. "You can't blame me for caring. I can't help how I was brought up, Liv. I care. I have to. It's in my DNA and if you ask me to apologize for it, I won't." He kept his voice even and calm and as he was talking she dried her hands and walked over to him.

"I just….I don't know how to do this. I mean, I know how to be WITH someone, but I don't know how to be that vulnerable with someone I haven't know for that-" The look on his face shut her up and he closed the gap between them.

"Olivia, listen to me." He started as he grazed her cheeks with this thumbs. "This isn't theoretical, baby. I am here. This, all of this," he motioned between them, "This is in the job description. I know what I signed up for. You are NOT a burden to me and I will not allow you to run away and hide yourself because you feel like an inconvenience. We are in this together and I am NOT going to leave you alone until you dismiss me. Do I make myself clear?"

The sternness in his voice caught her attention and the Northern lawyer woman within wanted to put him in check. The southern-bred woman in her, however, recognized that rarely did a gentleman raise his voice at a lady…much less speak as forceful as he just had and she went with her gut, answering him sweetly "I understand. Just be patient with me. Can you do that?"

His demeanor relaxed and he embraced her yet again. He couldn't stand to think that she was feeling some pain that he couldn't control and that alone ate away at him.

It was her turn to come to his rescue, "Fitz, before I knew you I was fighting battles. I won most, but some I lost and that's ok because it's not winning or losing; it's the fight that counts. . This is going to be a helluva battle and I'd rather have you fighting alongside me than pushing me to the sidelines because I don't know how to function that way. Do you understand what I'm saying?" she released her grip on his abdomen, staring into his eyes.

He sighed, giving in. He wasn't used to this but he would do his best to allow her breathing room. "I do. I'm sorry. We will get through this."

He released her, giving her a kiss on the forehead again. She decided to give in some and when he moved his lips from her forehead, she got up on her tip toes and kissed his lips lightly.

"Thank you." She told him sweetly.

/

After they showered in different bathrooms, the couple met back in the living room. Olivia took her time, taking in every detail as she went from room to room. The bathroom was decorated in dark greys and maroons and screamed ROLL TIDE. The guest room was decorated as well in Alabama attire, but more gentle with off white bed sheets to match the curtains and a single hound's tooth rug on the floor. The foyer with the pictures were illuminated by what appeared to be mini windows in the ceiling, and the living room was nice and earthy feeling. It had different shades of brown and hunter green, a few red accents as well. She took note as to how everything seemed to have its proper place and appreciated how put together everything was.

Fitz drove her back to Elizabeth's house. When he parked the truck, he sat motionless, facing her for instructions. He desperately wanted to climb out of the car with her and accompany her into the house to see her family. He remembered their earlier conversation and decided to wait for his que.

"If anything changes…" She started.

Fitz finished her sentence for her, "you will call me. But you have to face your fears head on and alone. I know."

Olivia recognized him putting forth an effort, and she leaned in to hug him. She took a few deep breaths, trying to commit the feel of his arms around her to memory in case she had another panic attack later. She released him, kissing him on the lips again. This time, instead of a quick peck, it was a bit more, starting with her opening her mouth a bit wider to accept him and him eagerly, but gently obliging. They released and smiled at each other.

"Don't worry. I'll be calling or coming over sooner than you think. I just need to handle this in my right mind." She assured him. She reached for the door handle, and he stopped her, getting out the truck to open her door and help her out. They said goodbyes, watered down their kisses to only include cheek pecks, and he drove away.

/

Olivia made her way into the house to find everyone scattered about. Her father was in the living room repairing what seemed to be the bottom of a wooden stool. He told her her mother as upstairs, not feeling well. Her Nana was in the kitchen, as evident by all the noise coming from that area. She decided against seeing her mother now as she didn't want to start the rollercoaster of emotions all over again. Instead, she went in search of her grandmother.

She found Elizabeth searching for pots, probably getting ready to make soup for lunch since today was Friday. These were the kinds of things she knew she would come to miss and immediately shook the thought from her mind, trying to salvage the calmness from the household.

"You can sit down, baby girl. Lunch will be ready soon." Olivia to this day still couldn't understand how her Nana sensed her all the time without looking. She obeyed the order and sat down.

"So, have you decided on a day to leave here yet?" Olivia's ears perked at the mention of this and she fixed her lips to speak, only to be cut off by her Nana's voice again.

"..Because I know you are not planning on sitting around here watching me weather away, child. You have a life and responsibilities to tend to upstate. You need to get on back to your normal life and get up outta my house." She turned and walked to stand before Olivia, grabbed her cheeks with one hand, and said "I'm just fine, sweet pea."

Olivia felt the ever annoying burning sensation in the back of her eyes and her vision became blurry as she nodded at Elizabeth. She turned to go back to the stove and Olivia took this as her que to drop the subject. Of course she wasn't leaving. She was the owner of her own company for God's sake! She would stay down here and consult with her small team of employees whenever they needed something, but she knew when to pick her battles with her Nana. Now was not the time.

As she watched her Nana cook in silence, her mother entered the room. She looked like she had aged 10 years overnight and hadn't slept a wink. She went to the refrigerator and got a bottle of water, bringing one to Olivia in the process.

"Mom? I didn't ask for a-"

"Drink, Liv. You look as bad as I feel." Both women smiled almost unnoticeable smiles at the joke from her mother. She began to drink her water and almost choked on the next question to be thrown at her.

"So Livvie how's Fitz?" Nana asked over her shoulder. Olivia's eyes darted between her Nana and mother and the look her grandmother gave her over her shoulder told her NOT to even try lying out of this one. She just went along with it.

"He's fine. Just….he's fine Nana. "Elizabeth shot Olivia a smug grin and Olivia shook her head, still amazed at how her grandmother's humor and antics could outshine any bad storm.

Maya looked at her daughter and mother, inwardly smiling at the moment these two shared. It was something she had grown to notice over the years. They had an unbreakable bond and she was certain they were communicating through eye signals when each were quiet.

Olivia looked at her mother and began to speak, only to be interrupted by the sound of her father's voice.

"Liv, can you come in here for a minute?"

Olivia rose from the table, taking her water with her. Maya stopped her by extending her arm and Elizabeth walked up behind Olivia, "Darlin', no matter what that goofball in there says, you follow your heart. You hear?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Yeah, I can hear real good, ladies." Elijah said to the women through the wall.

Elizabeth shot back, "Good. I was beginning to think those big elephant ears on your head were for show, young man."

The women shared a whispered chuckle, and Olivia went to her father.

Elijah wasn't planning on breaking up the romance he had witness between his daughter and Fitz. He simply wanted to warn her of the history surrounding the Grant family and their legacy.

"Sit, Liv."

"Daddy, I already know wha-"

"Sit. NOW."

Olivia sat down, casually taking a deep breath and sipping from her water bottle.

About ten minutes later, Olivia came back into the kitchen to join the other ladies in preparing lunch. She was still partially fired up from her conversation with her father, but other than that, everything seemed to be going well until there was a knock on the door followed by a doorbell. Elijah volunteered to go answer it and the other ladies looked on, wondering who it was.

Olivia stood to clear the table and felt a familiar tingle in her stomach. She turned around and cast her glance at a familiar face.

"Hi."

"Hi."

**AN: OK, this chapter is more of filler than anything. I love these two so much and as I'm writing this, I can see some of my own mechanisms in Olivia. Any who, next chapter you will hear the conversation had between Elijah and Olivia. Any guesses on what was said? **

**Who called Fitz? Why is he here? Why can't Elijah let the past be the past? **

**Be prepared. I don't know how long this story will be, but i do know there will be a few more tears shed before this is all said and done. Any ideas? (Yeah, I thought so)**

**As always, your feedback is welcome. I take all criticism into stride and if your comment causes a writing spark, I will definitely shout you out! **

**XOXO**


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Here's chapter 9, y'all. I hope everyone like is. I pray I depicted the struggle of race in the south in a good way. I tried to keep it as real as possible but not as bad.

Enjoy and review!

CH 9

"Hi."

"Hi. Are you ok?" Fitz casually strolled up to Olivia and placed his hand on the middle of her back, which was a fraction of what he wanted to do. She looked like Livvie-his Livvie- but her in her eyes he saw the truth. She wanted to punch a hole clear through the wall. He wanted to be her protector and run from her all at the same time. He was excited.

"I'm fine. Can we talk?" Olivia looked at him, wondering where this conversation would leave them. This wasn't her first time dating a man from another race, but it was definitely her first time dating one with such a dark family past.

"Sure. Lead the way." Fitz motioned for her to exit the kitchen, and acknowledged everyone else in the kitchen. The rigid look on Elijah's face didn't go unnoticed by Fitz and he would bet a good grip this had something to do with him. Nana and Maya both gave Fitz a smile and with that he followed Olivia out of the kitchen and into the backyard.

He stood not far from her, watching her pace in circles with her arms crossed in front of her chest. The look on her face was serious and Fitz could see her wheels turning. He watched in awe as she obviously was deep in thought. He saw several emotions cross her face from fear, anger, sadness, and finally what appeared to be love when her eyes found him again.

"Training for a pacing competition?" Fitz joked with her.

"Funny. Actually, I just need to talk to you and I-this couldn't wait. Have a seat?" She motioned for one of the patio chairs and when he sat, she sat near him.

Fitz grew serious now. "Livvie, what happened?"

"I need to know something."

"OK…?"

"I need you to tell me about your father. Your family's…history."

Fitz jerked his head as if she had smacked him. He was about to grow irritated, but when he saw the soft look on her face, he decided against it. He knew this was an issue for her to put Nana's health on the back burner and discuss this. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was about to judge him.

"Livvie, I am NOT my father. I can't help how he treated-"He began.

"Hold on. I'm not saying you are. I just need to know some things. I need to hear them from you. I need you to be as open and honest as you possibly can with me. Can you do that?

"I can. But do you mind if I ask why the sudden interest in them?" Fitz was curious.

Olivia took a deep breath and began to convey her previous conversation with her father to Fitz.

_Flashback_

_Olivia sat in that seat feeling like she had many times as a child. She was never a hardheaded or badly behaved child, but if her father insisted she sit, she didn't test him. _

"_Liv, there are a few things you need to know about your friend, Fitz." He noticed how her face began to twist into denial. "Before you start to defend him, let me explain. I'm not trying to come between you. There are some things in his family's history that he probably hasn't or doesn't want to share with you just yet because he is afraid it will scare you off." _

_Olivia sat still, taking in everything he said. He noticed he had her attention and continued. _

"_I don't blame him honestly because I probably wouldn't go around telling everyone my father was the son of a notorious leader of a well-known hate group either." When he said this, Olivia's eyes grew to saucers. _

"_Say what?" She was at a loss for words. _

"_Fitz' grandfather was-" _

"_Don't say it. Just…explain. How is it that I don't know about this?"_

"_Like i said sweetie, he probably didn't want to tell you. Fitz father was ruthless in his elder years. As a young man, he wasn't all that bad. He got his heart broken and became as bitter and mean as his father." _

_Olivia was about to ask how he knew this, and as if he heard her thoughts, he began to explain. _

"_When I was a kid, Gerry and I were actually friends. He used to sneak over to our side of town and we would play. Ride bikes, chase girls, climb trees…We were pretty good friends. We had to be careful because if anyone saw us and it got back to his father, he would be beaten. BAD. As we got older, I noticed a change in the way he carried himself. Since schools were still segregated, I didn't see him on a regular basis but every now and then, we would meet up in the woods hunting or pass each other in public. Our generation didn't particularly care about the things our parents did. His father taught him hate. My parents taught me love, but caution." _

_He paused again. Olivia crossed her legs and leaned closer as if she was captivated by the story. He continued. _

"_We had a few friends in common. One of them decided to throw a back to school party near the swimming lake on miner's parkway. We all attended, and had a blast. We were all swimming, using the rope to jump into the lake, and that's when it happened. A local girl showed up with a friend in tow. Her friend was beautiful. Gerry and I both noticed the young woman and we started to compete for her. At the end of the day, she noticed us both, but of course I won her heart. When Gerry asked why, she informed him that she had been taught that it wasn't safe and asked him if he even knew what his father stood for. Yes, she was black. This humiliation is what threw Gerry over the edge. He began to openly follow his father's footsteps and we didn't meet much after that. He went on with his life and the last time I spoke to him before he died; he told me that he embraced his teachings because that's what we all expected him to do anyways."_

_Olivia was curious, "So you guys let a girl come between you? That's crazy! Now, you guys aren't even friends anymore and that girl is probably, probably-"_

_Elijah cut her off, "In the kitchen with her mother preparing lunch."_

_Olivia stopped talking. When the realization finally hit her, her mouth dropped open to form a perfect "O" and her hands went to cover her mouth. "SHUT UP!"_

_Elijah shot her a warning glance. "Excuse me?"_

"_NO, NO, wait. I mean, it was MOM!? How? What? Does Fitz know?" _

"_If he does, he hasn't let on to it. Your mother's and my relationship, marriage and ultimately family is what triggered his father to become the monster people recognized him as. Gerry fell head over heels for Maya and probably would have burned every white hood in the south for her but she didn't choose him." _

_Olivia thought back to when she and Fitz discussed family. She remembered how there were no pictures of his late father on his walls and how he rarely spoke of him, simply stating he didn't get along with him. She knew something like this could bring dark clouds to her budding relationship and decided right then and there that she was going to clear the air with them. _

_Elijah went on to explain to her some of the awful things that had happened between the Grants and other families, mainly ethnic ones. Everything from their ancestors being slave owners, to the civil rights movement of the 60s and how they were against that, to Gerry Grant being present at the University of Alabama when George Wallace stood in the door way professing 'segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.' Her heart broke at the thought of Fitz' family not accepting her in any manner and him catching any kind of grief for being with her. She knew this had to be handled and QUICK; considering she was already head over heels in love with him. _

_When Elijah finished warning her about the Grant's and their easily swayed emotions, she rose and walked casually to the stairs. Once out of sight, she sprinted up, yelling she had to use the bathroom, and ran to her phone. She called Fitz, but got no answer. She texted him that she needed to speak with him and that it was important. She had no idea he would show up that quickly. _

Present.

"So see, this is why I needed to talk to you. The more I heard, the more uneasy I felt. I began to get sick on my stomach thinking about what you might go through…or WE if we stay a couple-"Olivia was cut off by Fitz.

"Oh, Olivia. Did you call me over here to breakup with me?" Fitz eyes turned a sad stormy gray. Olivia's heart broke. _Did I? she thought._

"NO! Of course not. I want to know what I'm getting myself into before I'm already in it. I really don't like surprises and from what I've heard, this one could be dangerous for both of us."

"Livvie, first off it's NOT 1960. And I recognize my family does have a raw history, but you have to know that DOES NOT REPRESENT ME. So to ease your mind, I will answer your questions…" Fitz sat back, took a deep breath, grabbed her hand, and began to talk.

"I've never heard the story about your mother and my father. I'm glad it didn't work out though cause then I couldn't be with you this way." Fitz flashed her his award winning smile, then continued.

"My family does have an awful past. I don't deny that. The ones who are alive today are mostly accepting. My brother, John, will try to steal you away from me. My mother will love you because she disagreed with everything my father stood for. Matter of fact, that's the main reason she left him. 90 % of the rest of my family will absolutely adore you. My sister, Natalie, is very sweet. To be honest, she will love you as a person, but probably won't be as happy to see us together. She just doesn't believe in mixing races. She was a daddy's girl and he influenced her the most. "

Fitz noticed Olivia loosen her grip on his hand. He refused to let her go, "Liv, baby I don't give a damn WHO does or doesn't like it. WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER. Nothing changes. Now, we just know the history. Please don't put a block between us. From what I can gather, NOONE in my family is as awful as our elders who preceded us."

Olivia sat there in awe. She was amazed by the honesty in this man's words. She felt relived from his confessions and she advised him that from what she gathered of her own family, no one felt that way because he was white. She did inform him that most of the older figures in the family were taught acceptance, love, and caution, but also told him it was NOTHING compared to what his own family thought.

They sat on the porch, holding hands, and just enjoying everything. Fitz noticed her yawning, and stood to walk to the swing on the porch. He sat down, put his hand behind the swing, and she sat down underneath him, eventually curling her legs under her, reaching across his stomach to hug him, and laying her head on his chest. Both sighed, relaxed, and pretty soon were falling in and out of consciousness.

/

5 weeks later

Fitz and Olivia were doing their best to be a happy couple. Most days, nothing stood in their way. Fitz had a temper and the only time she saw it come out was when they were in public and since this was the south, some people were NOT as welcoming of the newer couple; and some were not shy about expressing it. They rarely ever fought over anything more important than the remote control and who pays for gas. To the average person, everything would seem great. And it really was.

Olivia had not shared it with Fitz, but she was beginning to notice a change in Nana's activity. Her mother and father had visited twice since the last time. She noticed Elizabeth took longer to get out of bed in the morning and didn't stay awake nearly as much as she used to during the day. She was beginning to lose weight and any cuts or scrapes she got were not healing as fast. She also overheard her Nana in the bathroom regurgitating her dinner a few times and fought the urge to rush in to help her. She was beginning to see the effects of the Cancer on Nana and she didn't like it.

She had spent a few nights with him as well. He was nothing except the perfect gentleman the entire time, which made her want him that much more. She began to notice her body's involuntary reaction to him when he was near. Face feeling hot, and thighs automatically rubbing together more to calm the fires within. They had come close to going all the way once. It was around 8pm one night. They were sitting on his couch, arguing about football and anything else that was easy to play devil's advocate on. Fitz absolutely insisted on hollering roll tide at her every time she stood and displayed his signature Alabama shirt. She had warned him she would take it off if he didn't stop and when he did it again, she fulfilled her threat-only to reveal a hounds tooth bra and what he could only imagine were matching panties. She casually strolled over to his mantel and grabbed his bear Bryant hat, placing it slightly cocked on her head and stood in front of him.

"See what you get when you don't follow instructions?" She giggled at him.

He felt his mouth go dry as he watched her sashay back towards him. He wasted no time grabbing her and devouring her lips, causing her to straddle him. She was going to go all the way with him (mainly because she loved him but somewhat because she needed the release). She gladly opened her mouth to his and their tongues danced a dueling battle. She stripped him of his polo shirt and t-shirt at the same time, revealing that glorious chest he was blessed with. He stood with her in his arms and laid her back on the couch, laying himself between her legs and being careful not to squish her with his weight.

She was in sinful heaven. She was never a big kisser, but his lips seemed to be laced with something her body couldn't get enough of. She felt his hardening press up against her inner thighs and she bit his neck, causing him to look into her eyes for permission. She nodded slightly as she began to unbuckle the belt on his great fitting Levi jeans.

They engaged in kissing and suckling and biting and moaning for what seemed like hours until a frantic knock came from the door.

"Fitz, someone is-"She tried to say. He cut her off kissing her again, making her momentarily forget about the noise at the door until it happened again.

"Fitz. Go see who it is."

He reluctantly pulled away, standing and causing an eruption of laughter from her as he stumbled to get his balance. She licked her lips as she watched the tent pitched in his pants and grabbed a throw from the couch until he came back.

Fitz called her name from the living room. He didn't sound happy.

She threw the throw off, grabbed his shirt, and rushed to the door. She was greeted by one of Nana's neighbors. The look on Fitz' face told her everything she needed to know-that something was not right- but she refused to acknowledge it. She walked slowly to him, keeping her eyes on the person at the door.

"Olivia Pope?"

"Yes?"

"Oh, thank God. We have been trying to get in touch with you for a few hours now. We found Elizabeth outside lying by her flowers. I suppose she passed out, but we called 911 and had her transported…." The rest of what the kind woman was saying began to fade away as Olivia and Fitz both grabbed keys, phones, shoes, and rushed out the door to his truck.

Olivia felt the familiar sting coming to her eyes again and she watched the streetlights pass by in a hurry, silently praying to God,

'_PLEASE! NOT YET! I'M NOT READY YET! I'M NOT READY TO SAY GOODBYE YET!'_

AN: yep, I have to leave you guys here. Any predictions? I will say that things will get a LITTLE sadder before they get better. I appreciate all the feedback and reviews I get from this story. I actually wrote this while at work! (Don't tell it!)

SO….GERRY AND MAYA? WHHHHHAAATTT?

XOXO


	10. Chapter 10

CH 10

AN: 10 Chapters! YAY! I feel so accomplished as a first time fan fic writer. Please know that I am SOOO grateful and I will DEFINITELY continue to write. I LOVE these two SOOO much and I have so many ideas for them!

Know that I love Nana so much. Get your tissues ready as this was a hard chapter to write.

Happy reading!

PS: The mood for the beginning of this chapter was inspired by "Vienna", by Billy Joel. (I was listening to that when I began!) ALSO, I think in previous chapters I referred to Elizabeth as a POPE. This isn't right considering she's Maya's mother. SORRY YALL!

XOXO

Fitz and Olivia got to the hospital in record time. Fitz couldn't remember how many traffic violations he committed and honestly couldn't care as he spent the entire ride trying to comfort a panicking and shocked Olivia. He kept her hand in his as he maneuvered the truck through the streets of downtown Birmingham, AL. Nana had been transported to UAB, a well-known and prestigious hospital in the heart of downtown. It had a wonderful cancer center and was known for its cancer research from what Fitz knew. When they parked the car, Olivia jumped out as quickly as her tiny body could.

"OUCH! Shit!" Olivia sneered, jumping out of the truck entirely too quickly. She felt pain shoot up her legs and she had probably hit the ground too hard.

Fitz jumped out too, running around to her side of the truck.

"Livvie? You ok?" He grabbed her elbow, helping her stand straight.

"Yeah, come on." She shook off the pain she felt and they rushed through the emergency doors, only to be stopped by what appeared to be security. _Great, a gate keeper…_Olivia thought.

"Whoa, whoa, where you two headed? You need a pass to-"Olivia cut the guard off.

"Sir, with ALL DO respect, Elizabeth Johnson was brought in here and I need to-"

"You need to go and follow protocol like everyone else. What? You think you're someone special?"

Olivia was seething with anger. She rarely got this mad, but she felt her chest tighten and she came undone before she could even think to filter what was being said.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY, DAMMIT. NOOOWWW!"

The guard looked as if he had been smacked twice in the face as Olivia pushed past him and into the double doors leading to the patients. Fitz was in a haze. Gone was all the panicked and fear struck Livvie he saw on the way here. He didn't think that kind of fire could come from such a tiny woman and inwardly he was ecstatic, but somewhat afraid.

They made it to the nearest nurse's station, and before they could ask, Elijah called Olivia to him. He and Maya were in the nearby waiting room. They went in and immediately, Olivia went to her mother and father, asking questions. They were told that nana appeared to have had a stroke and they were running tests. Olivia couldn't stop the silent tears that were falling from her eyes and she stepped back into Fitz' embrace. He hugged her, trying to will his own tears from falling.

The name of the game was hurry up and wait for the next 3 hours. No one said much. Maya and Elijah sat across from Olivia and Fitz, all waiting and silently praying for good news to come from the doctors. Everyone seemed to be moving in slow motion as Olivia wished as hard as she could that someone would come inform her of SOMETHING. Finally, a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair called for the family of Elizabeth Johnson.

They all stood up and the doctor began to explain that Elizabeth in deed DID have a stroke. She was now resting in a room and was requesting to see only one person.

"Who is Fitz?" the doctor asked.

Everyone looked at Fitz, who because of the attention, began to shuffle his feet and feel his face flush.

"Sir, Ms. Johnson is asking for you. She then requested to see everyone else but because of her current condition, we can only allow you all in one at a time."

Fitz kissed Olivia on her head and reluctantly followed the doctor down the hallway and through a maze of turns. He stopped outside the door to gather himself and entered.

Elizabeth was lying in bed. She had a bandage on her forehead and was connected to several contraptions. The only one Fitz recognized was the heart monitor at a steady beep. He smiled at Nana when she raised her eyebrow at him.

"Come here, son. I ain't gonna bite you. It's just a few wires." Elizabeth said. Her voice was hoarser than he remembered and he came towards her. He went to pull up a chair, but Elizabeth patted the bed by her side. "Sit, son."

Fitz obeyed.

"I don't know how much time I have left, but I want you to know a few things in case my hour glass is almost empty." She stopped to clear her throat and continued.

"I know about Maya and Gerry, Fitz. Maya came to me when it happened years ago and I'll tell you like I told her. Love knows no color, baby. She didn't feel for your father as she did for Elijah, but if she had, it would have been alright in my book."

Fitz nodded and she kept going.

"I know you love Liv. I know because she knows but I also know you young folks are so timid these days. Have you told her?"

Fitz shook his head, "No ma'am. It just seems…too soon. I don't want to scare her away."

"Too soon for who?" Elizabeth asked. "Think twice before you answer that question, kiddo."

Fitz thought about her words. He wanted to tell her he was waiting for Olivia to tell him first. He wanted to tell her he was waiting for Olivia to be comfortable and for them to get to know each other and for people to accept them. He wanted to tell her so many things, but as he kept quiet and pondered, none of these reasons made sense. Elizabeth knew what was running through his mind and smiled.

"That's what I thought. Son, life is too short to wait on such things and if you know, which you should since I do, then you need to tell her."

"What if she runs away? I can't lose her now." Fitz had tears in his eyes as he spoke to Elizabeth.

"Oh honey, I have a feeling she's gonna need you now more than she ever has before or in the future." Elizabeth said. Fitz noticed how her eyes kept wondering to the corner of the room and a small smirk kept creeping on her face as she spoke, but he brushed it off.

After their talk, Fitz kissed Elizabeth on the head and held her hand for a few more minutes. She convinced him it was ok and he eventually left. When he made it back to the waiting room, Olivia insisted on going last as she knew she wasn't ready based on how red Fitz eyes were when he returned.

After an hour and Elijah and Maya both had visited, it finally became Olivia's turn. She didn't want to go in and deep down she knew it was time.

/

The funeral service was beautiful. Nana was wearing her favorite off white church outfit, minus the matching hat, and was in a powder pink casket picked out by Olivia. She looked as though she was sleeping and Olivia had a very hard time during the service. The church was packed to the max, and the funeral ended up going longer than planned because a lot of people wanted to speak about memories and such of Elizabeth. Elijah held an upset Maya and Fitz supported Olivia as best he could. All family members, including Fitz, wore pink carnations pinned to their left sides above their hearts.

At the grave yard, each family member was given a pink rose to drop as Nana was lowered to her final resting place. As they dropped their roses in one by one, a choir member sang "His eye is on the sparrow" and Fitz felt as if his heart continued to break every time Olivia sobbed into his chest.

As the grave yard cleared, eventually they were the only two left. Fitz stood next to Olivia, his hand firmly on her waist to support her. He moved behind her, watching her tears drop into the grave and felt her relax, her head finding support on his chest. She stood stock still as she began to recall her last conversation with her Nana.

_Flashback_

_Olivia entered the room with her Nana, and it took all she had in her to not lose it. She felt her breathing speed up and willed herself to calm down-at least for Nana's sake. Without an invite, she went to her nana and climbed in bed with her, careful not to mess with any wires. She lay her head on her Nana's chest and Elizabeth kissed Olivia's head. _

"_You look- Nana, you don't look like you are hurting, but are you ok? Do you need anything? Olivia fidgeted with her hands._

"_Sweet pea, listen to me. I want you to pay close attention." Elizabeth began. _

_Olivia looked up at her and nodded through tear filled eyes, noticing Elizabeth staring at the corner with a small smile on her face. _

"_I'm gonna tell you some things and I'm gonna talk fast cause he said I don't have very much time left."_

_Olivia's head cocked to the side with the signature eyebrow cock as she eyed her grandmother. _

"_Yeah, your grandfather is here. He's waiting for me. He still as impatient as he was back then," Elizabeth laughed lightly, her voice low. _

_Olivia knew at that moment that she was probably talking to her Nana for the very last time. _

"_There is a safe in my room. It's behind the picture of your grandfather in his military uniform. The code is your birthday, ok? In there you will find EVERYTHING you need to know or ever know about me and my business. I'm telling you this because although you probably can't tell now, you are my strong one. Liv, I have always known you were the strongest, and the family is gonna need that strength right now. All of them." _

_Olivia nodded, no longer trying to hide her tears as her heart constricted. _

"_Fitz loves you. HE LOVES YOU. Do you understand? I don't care if he white, black, purple, green, or polka dotted. That man loves you and you need to have the courage and will to love him back cause I doubt he going anywhere. DON'T push him away. You hear me?" Elizabeth's breathing was becoming labored and Olivia rose, sitting on the bed beside her and listening as she spoke. _

"_Yes ma'am, Nana." _

"_Naw, child, I need you to really hear me. Stay with him. RESPECT HIM cause he cannot help his background. Always remember, Olivia. The past in behind you for a reason. You can't drive a car by looking in the rearview mirror, baby. You glance at it from time to time, but you focus ahead. Now, I need you to do something for me. Can you do it?" Elizabeth looked at her grandchild, now crying herself._

"_Anything," Olivia whispered. She grabbed her Nana's hand. Neither of them heard he door to the room open and the other three standing there watching the last few moments of Nana's life. _

_Nana took a deep breath, "I need you, to-"Nana was interrupted by a cough. A deep cough that seemed to shake her entire frame. The machines around her began to go haywire and Olivia jumped up, grabbing her Nana's face to try to help. Eventually, Olivia was pulled away by a nurse, closer to the door. She saw the room fill with hospital staff and she, Fitz, and her parents stood outside, looking through the window. They watched as Nana's oxygen was removed and her bed lay back. They watched as her gown was torn open and paddles placed on her chest. _

"_CHARGE TO 200. CLEAR!"_

"_NOTHING!"_

"_CHARGE TO 250. COME ON, NOW!"_

_All four family members watched as their loved one was shocked several times. They watched, reading the physician's lips as he called her precious Nana's time of death at 4:47AM._

Present

Fitz stood there wishing he could take away all of the pain Olivia felt. He knew this was something she would have to handle on her own. He kept his grip on her strong, never wavering unless she needed to hug someone or move for some reason.

Olivia eventually turned to him, looking him deep in his eyes. For the first time since Nana's death 5 days ago, he saw a genuine smile. Small, but genuine. He searched her eyes for the reason, and was caught off guard by the small, sensual kiss she gave him. There was no sexy in this kiss. This was meant to be a reassurance kiss to let him know that she was his. His now and his forever if he would have her.

She had heard her Nana. Loud and clear. Fitz had been by her side from day one and she was grateful. Through all the tears, sobs, breakdowns, and mood swings leading to this day, he hadn't ran. She was eternally grateful and she began to sense just what her Nana had said. He really did love her. Her happiness was her Nana's last wish and it was at this very moment as she watched the grave workers throw dirt on her grave that she realized her Nana had given her the courage she needed to stay with Fitz. And she vowed to make her Nana proud.

AN:

***SLAMS LAPTOP DOWN, WIPING TEARS***

SIGH! I admit I didn't want Nana to pass just yet, but for this story to go where I need it to go, it was time. I took a lot of my memories from my own Granny's funeral and used them here. I think this will be what bring Fitz and Liv together the most. Olivia still has some reserve and if she had any doubt before now, it's gone. Can it be tested? Sure. It probably will be knowing me.

PLEASE know I read all of your reviews and PM's. I wanted to prolong Nana's death but I couldn't. I promise somewhat smoother roads ahead and a little time jump as well ahead.

I will try to update to something a bit happier this week. STAY WITH ME PEOPLE! IT WILL GET EASIER!

XOXO


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews! I don't know how long this chapter will be as I am still making my way through the death of Nana. I know last chapter was a while ago…SORRY! Life happens…and I also know that chapter was pretty heavy. I promise to try NOT to be as heavy with this one! **

CH 11

Over the next few days, Fitz stayed close to Olivia. He didn't want to overcrowd her knowing he needed to give her space, and how important it was to her to be independent. This didn't stop him from coming to her rescue several times. One time in particular she had invited him over to Nana's to watch a movie and get her mind off of things. Fitz had insisted she come stay with him, but she declined saying no one was left to guard Nana's belongings. He gave in, some nights spending the night on the couch as added security.

Olivia got up to go make popcorn. She went into the kitchen and walked towards the cabinet. She wanted stove top popcorn and when she reached for the cabinet door, Nana's apron was hanging inside. She felt like she was in shock, unable to move her body as silent sobs began to escape her body. Fitz sensed something was off and when he got to the kitchen, she was sitting with her legs to her chest, back against the cabinet, and Elizabeth's apron clinched though in her hands. She was weeping for her loss, sniffing her Nana's scent through tears and Fitz felt his own tears begin to drop down his face. He wished for the life of him he could spare her this pain.

"Oh, Livvie. Come here, baby." Fitz walked towards Olivia, careful not to rush so she had plenty of time to deter him.

She didn't.

She continued to sniff, looking up at him with her signature doe eyes and when he got to her, he stood he up in his arms.

"I'm sorry. Sometimes it just hits me," She said through sniffles.

Fitz shushed her, running his fingers through her natural curls. Ever since the funeral she hadn't had the energy to do much to her hair other than routine maintenance. Fitz wasn't at all bothered since he liked her hair in this form.

"Don't apologize for being human, Liv. Please just let me-"Fitz was cut off by her laying her head on his chest and wrapping her arms around his torso snuggly.

They took deep sighs together, finally relaxing in each other's embrace. They were both thinking the same thing. Olivia spoke first.

"I, um….I think I'll take you up on that offer, Fitz." She said quietly. She didn't want to leave Elizabeth's home unattended to. She deep down didn't want to leave the house period but every corner she turned something new would send her into a fit of tears.

Fitz didn't say a word. He helped her gather an overnight bag from upstairs and escorted her to his home in silence. When they arrived, Fitz unlocked the door and let her walk in while he locked it back, her overnight bag on his shoulder. _Wonder where she is gonna sleep? I'm not gonna assume anything….I'll just stand here until she makes a move, _he thought.

Olivia was having similar thoughts until her Nana's voice popped into her head. She turned and looked at Fitz, who was wearing a warm side grin on his face.

"Will you take my bag to…to your bedroom?"

After showering and getting ready for bed, Fitz lay in bed waiting on Olivia to finish. She emerged from the bathroom with her hair tied in a messy bun on her head. She wore a soft pink pair of tights and a lose fitting southern chics shirt. She was without make up, socks, or shoes, and Fitz thought she never looked better.

As a man, it was more than hard to think she was about to be in his bed with him and NOT get a hard on. He did his best to maintain his composure as she walked toward the bed. His libido calmed slightly as he noticed the worried look on her face.

"Liv, look at me."

She obeyed.

" I don't expect anything. I just want to be near you and comfort you. If you want to talk all night and sleep later then fine. If you want to cry it out, my chest will always be ready for you. If you want to just lay and have a staring contest, I don't mind. I just want you ok." Fitz explained.

Olivia felt her eyes full of tears. She had cried more this week than she had in quite some time. She pondered his offer and slid in bed beside him. She lay her head on his right side, his free hand easily rubbing circles in her back.

"I just…I wanna be ok, you know?" She asked him.

"I do. I also know this will take time. I'm right here every step of the way until you dismiss me, ok?" Fitz kissed the top of her head, inhaling the magnificent scent that was her.

"Ok." Olivia's independent side was inwardly struggling to calm, but the God sent man holding her was easing her worries. She wanted to feel ok with her Nana being in a better place, and she wanted to be ok with her family blowing her phone up to make sure she was ok, but Olivia was a different kind of griever. She needed to deal with things on her own.

As if Fitz sensed this, he took a deep breath and finally spit out what was on his mind all day.

"How about I take you somewhere to get your mind off things?"

Olivia hesitated. She didn't want to be rude and say flat out no, but she was NOT in the mood for a couple's outing.

"Um…what did you have in mind? I'm really exhausted and everyone is expecting me to-"

"To be there for them. You have to be ok to be there for anyone and that's what this is about. It's not very far away, Livvie. In fact, its privately owned and about 30 minutes away. Just for a few days-until you can get your mind right."

Fitz had done so much for her lately, a good part of her felt guilty. She didn't want him worrying over her so much, and when she met his eyes, she could see the worry dancing in his facial features. He looked at her, not with pity, but with concern and she decided to go with the flow.

"Fine. You have done so much for me lately, I guess you seem to know more of what I need than I do myself right now. When do we leave?"

Fitz smiled, knowing he had finally won. "In the morning."

/

The next morning, Olivia woke up to find Fitz staring at the ceiling fan. She gazed up at him, and was met with his signature smile. "Morning, sunshine." He kissed her head.

"Good morning", she said with a yawn.

For the next few hours, they gathered their belongings, showered, and before she knew it, were on the road. Fitz explained to her that they were going to a place that was not public and very desolate. He told her that it was quiet and beautiful, and he thought she would be able to gather her thoughts.

When the car finally stopped, Olivia thought she was dreaming. They pulled up a gravel driveway and to a 2 story cabin-like home. It looked so inviting, with a tire swing not far from the driveway and a garden that looked well taken care of. She took in the beauty of the home. It appeared to be a little older and had cream colored shutters. She subconsciously grabbed Fitz' hand while her eyes scanned the property. She noticed how the yard seemed to dip behind the house, and her curiosity peaked. By the time he got around to open her car door, she was out and already walking up the rest of the driveway, looking up at the clear blue sky and taking in a deep breath. She hugged herself as she made her way up the path and when she reached the top, she felt her breath hitch. Behind the house was a VERY large set of stairs that lead to a lake and beside it lay anything you could ever imagine wanting to use on the water.

"Fitz…." She breathed. She didn't notice him directly behind her until she felt his hands skim across her stomach and slightly pull her back into his embrace.

"I love it here. I used to come up here all the time when I was a child with my family. Now, I only come up here to clear my head and grasp reality."

They made their way into the home using the front door. Everything in her immediate line of view screamed southern grace. She took in the smell of pine and cinnamon, eyeing the pictures on the wall and the bible verse painted in cursive writing above the coat hanger. She walked in slowly, taking in the feel of the home. For some odd reason, she felt extremely comfortable.

Fitz left to put their bags away and when he returned, he found Olivia in the exact same place had left her, less about 3 steps forward. He gave her a tour of the home, dragging her around by hand, and finally settled down to make dinner. The conversation was light and carefree. Olivia couldn't remember the last time she felt so at peace.

After dinner, the couple decided to relax. Fitz took her to the back poarch, and climbed into a hammock. He extended his hand to her.

"Oh no, I'm good. Thanks."

"Come on, I promise I've got you."

They lay in the hammock, watching stars and making small talk until Fitz noticed her breathing become steady. He didn't want to move her out of fear that he might wake her up, so he flexed a little, got comfortable, and dozed off.

/

Fitz woke up to the sound of a car door slamming. At first he thought he imagined it until it happened again. He slipped out of Olivia's embrace and tip toed to the end of the porch, noticing an unoccupied vehicle. He couldn't make out the make and model of the vehicle and he knew no one else was supposed to be up here. He quickly made his way back around to where Olivia was, making sure she was still asleep. He reached up under one of the rafters and pulled out a .38 that was kept there in case of emergencies.

Sliding the glass door open, he quietly made his way towards the sound of shoes on the kitchen floor. He flicked the light on and pointed the gun, causing his sister Natalie to almost drop the glass of moonshine she had poured.

"FITZ! Jesus, what the hell are you doing here?" Natalie screeched.

Fitz lowered the weapon, "I should ask you the same thing."

Natalie looked down at her feet and answered, "I needed to clear my head. Didn't think I'd be risking a bullet to the ass, big bro."

Fitz smiled at his sister, and took a moment to put the safety back on the weapon. He was about to say something back to her when he heard glass shatter. He followed her gaze behind him and noticed Olivia standing at the kitchen door.

SILENCE.

"And this is….?" Natalie asked.

Fitz took a deep breath, inwardly praying that the love of his life would not end up hurt by the end of this conversation.

**Sorry to leave you guys here! How will this go? Any ideas? Will Natalie scare Olivia off or has she met her match? Leave me reviews and another chapter should follow quickly. Thanks for those who are still following me!**

**I have a few more ideas floating in my head and am thinking of making a few one shots….let me know what you think if you read them! **


	12. Chapter 12

TFTH

CH 12

Olivia took in a deep breath. She quickly processed this MUST be Fitz' sister. She knew in her head, based off of what he had told her, that this could either go really good or really bad.

"I'm Olivia. Pope. Nice to meet you. You must be Natalie?" Olivia added a little extra excitement to her voice.

Natalie didn't hesitate to take Olivia's outstretched hand. "I am. Funny, you know my name, but I didn't even know you existed."

After Natalie released Olivia's hand, she subconsciously rubbed her own hand down her pants.

_Oh, ok she's one of THOSE…._Olivia thought to herself.

Fitz finally spoke up. "Natalie, this is my GIRLFRIEND, Olivia."

Natalie instantly ignored the work girlfriend.

"Ok. Well maybe you should give the rest of the family some heads up next time, big bro. I had no idea you were bringing…..company." Natalie's eyes roamed Olivia as she said this.

Olivia took notice to EVERYTHING that was going on around her. Before she could throw an equally shady remark back to Natalie, Fitz spoke up.

"ENOUGH! Five, Olivia is not COMPANY. She's my girlfriend. Get used to it cause she ain't goin' NOWHERE. Four, since when did I need to run my personal affairs by you, Nat? That sounds kinda borderline control freak. You should really see someone about that. Three, the little gestures like wiping your hand and such, you need to stop it RIGHT NOW because that is uncalled for. How old are you again? Two, in the past few minutes, you have insinuated that WE are unclean, in the wrong place, and keeping secrets, all of which couldn't be far from the truth, so this the last time for a WHILE we will be speaking. And one….if you ever give Olivia the backwoods side eye like you just did again, you will deal with me. How simple minded are you? You should leave. We need privacy."

Olivia stood stock still listening to her man defend her. Her mind went back to her Nana and she knew Nana was smiling down on him somewhere.

"Fitz, I didn't mean to-"Natalie tried to apologize. Fitz wasn't having it.

"Yes you did. But that's ok. Lucky for me, I didn't take all of dad's pedigree to heart as a kid so everything he tried to instill didn't catch on with me. Did I stutter earlier? LEAVE." Fitz was breathing hard and the only time Olivia had seen his face and ears this red was the one time they were CLOSE to having….

"Livvie?" Olivia was shaken out of her daydream by his voice.

"What? What did you say?" By the time Olivia came out of her daydream, Natalie was slamming the door. They heard what sounded like a car door slam, but Olivia never heard an engine crank up. She figured maybe it was just a quiet car….

Fitz turned to stand directly in front of her. He noticed her breathing had increased as well and her cheeks were hot to the touch. He tried to get her to look him in the eye thinking she was offended and probably upset.

"I asked if you were ok. I am SO SORRY for Natalie. Regardless to if she knows you or not, she-"

Olivia placed her index finger to his lips to make him shut up. He did, finally being still and quiet enough to look her deep in the eyes. What he saw there was admiration and pride…but what got his attention was lust. She knew at this very moment, it was time.

"Take me to bed."

Fitz had to blink to make sure he heard her correctly. He barely shook his head, feeling his face grow hot for the second time in the last ten minutes.

"Liv-"

"BED. NOW."

That was all he needed to hear. He pushed her back on towards the counter, finally locking lips with her. Feeling reserved and wanting to make sure she was ready, he pulled back and glazed into her eyes. They spoke volumes to him without uttering a word.

Fitz carried her upstairs to the bedroom he had used a teenager. It had been renovated several times over and overlooked the lake she saw earlier. When his knees touched the bed, he laid Olivia down as if she was fine china and would break easily. She felt herself grow even hotter because of this. Never had anyone treated her body with such grace and elegance.

Fitz hovered over her from the side, his nose lightly rubbing against hers as his lips also met hers. She deepened the kiss, tangling her tongue with his now. His hands roamed freely over her body, silently thanking God for the beauty beneath him. He would occasionally pull back to give her yet another chance to back out of this, but each time she would raise her neck to meet his lips half-way, signaling this was exactly what she wanted.

Before either knew it, the romantic make-out session turned into both of them being separated by only their undergarments. The moonlight streamed into the bedroom, the only light on upstairs. Fitz reached behind Olivia and took her hair out of the ponytail it was in. He cradled her back down to the bed and planted a single kiss to her lips before breaking contact and leaving a trail of quick hot kisses from her neck to her navel. When he reached his lower destination, Fitz locked eyes with Olivia one more time. He was shocked when she parted her legs for him and shot him an innocent smile.

The only sounds that could be heard after that were pants, moans, and fabric ripping. Fitz had grown impatient and almost lost his cool when he took a whiff of her essence, quickly snatching the underwear off her body. She gasped, covered her mouth, and giggled. Never had a man ever wanted her THAT bad. Fitz sat back on his knees, admiring her body. The moonlight danced off her skin and it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. At that moment, he was more than sure that he would NEVER EVER allow this woman to get out of his life.

Fitz pleasured her over and over again with his mouth. Every time she gave into ecstasy, he would allow her a few minutes to recover, planting innocent kisses to her set of lower lips, then when her breathing returned back to normal, he would resume what he was doing earlier, adding his fingers every now and then to mix it up. He knew he could lay there and pleasure her all night if she allowed it.

Olivia began to see stars. After the 4th climax on her part, she looked down and locked eyes with Fitz. She caught him off guard, sitting up and grabbing his bulge before he could move it out of the way. She pushed him down to the spot she had previously been on and began to pull his boxers down. Fitz grabbed her hands to stop her.

"Livvie, I can't-YOU can't do that. Not now. I won't last."

She acted as if she didn't hear him, making him think she was going to give him a full blown head job. Instead, Olivia gently kissed the tip of his manhood, took it into her mouth with one fell swoop, let if fall out with a loud POP, and straddled Fitz in what seemed to him to be one motion. She wasted no time connecting him with her opening, and began to ride him like a madwoman. To say Fitz was close was an understatement. He grabbed onto her hips as she rode him, gritting his teeth to try and keep from blowing the mood. He turned his head, but Olivia grabbed his chin. Fitz sat up, her legs still wrapped around his hips rocking into him. They locked eyes and Olivia could swear her body was about to burst from the inside out. Fitz felt the same, and after about 5 minutes of hip swirls from her and deep thrusts from him, both climaxed at the exact same time.

Panting, Fitz fell backward, bringing Olivia with him. Their sweat was the only thing separating them from lying skin to skin.

Neither spoke a word, for both of them knew this had taken their relationship to the next level. Olivia kissed Fitz with all she had at that point. They continued to exchange deep loving kisses throughout the rest of the night.

Neither of them noticed the woman at the door snapping quick but quiet pictures of their first time consummating their relationship.

**AN: OK! I know it's been a while. I'm sorry! I have had so much to do lately, but I read EACH AND EVERY one of your reviews and can I just say….WOW! Thank you guys SOOO Much! I love you all too!**

**The Best Surprise is actually moving easier in my brain than this is right now, but what can I say? Inspiration comes from your reviews and whatever is going on in front of me.**

**How about Fitz snapping Natalie back into her place! YAAAAASSSS!**

**SO…who's at the door? Yeah, you will find this out eventually….any guesses?**

**Leave me reviews! Another chapter to TBS should be up before Wednesday. SORRY SO SHORT!**

**Happy reading!**

**XOXO**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Sorry for the delay, yall. I hope this story reaches you all in good health and spirits and that you DON'T hate me too much! **

**Happy reading! **

**XOXO**

**PS: I DON'T OWN THESE CHARACTERS! STRICTLY BELONG TO SR!**

TFHT

CH 13

"ENOUGH, Natalie! I did NOT raise you to act this way! Your monster of a father sure rubbed off on you a good bit, and I wish I could reach you to smack some sense into your head! How DARE you treat that innocent woman like this? Not mention you showed up UNANNOUNCED, and you left that mentally disturbed twerp at that house with them? What is your problem!?" Rose Grant had seen and heard a lot of foul and despicable things in her life, especially being married to the demon she once loved, but nothing she had heard could compare to this.

"Mom, seriously? This girl looks like she dropped right of a chapter of "The Help"! Fitz could do SO much better than her. She's not even a nice complexion. As for that other part, no one can pin that on me. The crazy bat just asked if I knew where Fitz might be at when I stopped by his house and I figured it can't hurt-might help, actually." Natalie finished her snarky statement with a devilish smirk.

Rose was so embarrassed by her daughter that she felt her hands tingle with anger. She wanted nothing more than to smack the living shit out of her, but years of abuse held her back as well as a vow she made to God to never lay hands on anyone else ever again, regardless of how mad they made her. She balled her hands into a fist and got right up in her only daughter's face.

"Natalie Ann Grant, YOU WILL FIX THIS. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? I don't give a damn how you do it, but NOONE deserves that kind of treatment. If something happens to them because of that looney toon ass girl you left there, you are not gonna wanna see me. Do you understand me?"

Natalie averted her gaze. She knew her mother was right, but she was a daddy's girl and if her daddy said it, it was more than likely true.

"Mom, how can you be ok with this? Dad gave ALL the best evidence with his lessons. Her skin? DARK because she came from hell. Her hair? Straight from chemicals cause she wants to be like us. Dad would be so upset with you!" Natalie stated matter-of -factly to her mother.

Rose gasped, placing her hands over her heart. "Not even close. What did I say? FIX IT, Nat…and once you do, try getting to know her outside of her skin color. If Fitz loves her, I don't care if she is polka-dotted. She will be in this family and treated with respect. If I have to repeat myself…"Rose let her voice taper off as Natalie stormed out of the room.

Rose sat back down on her love seat. She rubbed her temples as she closed her eyes, willing the tears not to fall. She absolutely hated what Big Gerry had done to her once loving and caring daughter. Fitz was the rebel (much to her delight), and Natalie was the other end of the spectrum.

"You can come in now, Nate."

Nathan Grant peeked his head through the door. He was the one who sometimes sat on the fence with teachings from his father, but deep down, he knew what was right and wanted nothing more than for everyone to get along.

"Ma, I'm sorry about Nat. You know Dad really did a number on her." Nathan rubbed his mother's shoulders. At 6'5, he towered her and she smiled as she looked at almost a splitting image of her oldest son.

"I know, Nate. Trust me, I know."

/

Fitz made his way to the bathroom, trying to tip-toe and not wake an easy slumbering Olivia. He eased the door shut and grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet behind him. He began to run water in the sink and once the cloth was warm, he reopened the door to the room to find Olivia and his button up shirt missing.

Downstairs, Olivia made her way to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, needing something to cool off her parched throat. She drank a few swallows, sat the bottle back on the countertop, and began to daze off as she thought back to how Fitz mouth had felt on her skin. Her neck-as she ran her fingers across the tender area she would probably have to cover with make-up. Her hair-which he had grabbed roughly, then rubbed so gently. Her waist, which he had gripped as he made love to her. Her entire body began to tingle at the thoughts passing through her mind. She was in lala-land and didn't notice the figure on the couch in the family room. That is, until she heard a clip cock into place.

"Who. Are. YOU?" The voice sounded.

Olivia damn near jumped out of her skin as she shrieked.

"Tha hell? Who are you?" Olivia flipped the light on and saw a nice looking brunette standing with a .38 pointed and ready to fire.

"I asked you a QUESTION!" Mellie screeched as she began to wave the firearm at Olivia.

"And I asked you one. What the hell are you-"

"MELLIE!? Un-fucking-believable. SERIOUSLY? Did Natalie leave you here? You know what, it doesn't even matter. What the hell are you doing here? Why do you have a gun?" Fitz felt himself begin to get angry all over again. He expected to walk in the kitchen and startle Olivia before he convinced her to come back to bed with him. He didn't bargain for all of THIS.

Mellie smiled as if someone had pushed the reset button in her fruity head.

"Fitzy! There you are! I was just about to blow this GIRL back to hell. What is she doing in this house? Probably trying to steal or take something thinking no one was here." Mellie said.

Olivia had had enough. First Natalie, now this? Nope. That was the ballgame.

"Look, I don't know who you are or what you want, but you need to get the hell away from me and stop waiving that thing at me."

Fitz passed right by Olivia and walked directly up to Mellie. He snatched the gun from her hand and pushed her backward, placing the safety back on the device and backing up toward Olivia.

"I don't have to explain a DAMN thing to you. What the hell are you doing here?"

"ME? You question me when standing right behind you is a NIG-"

Fitz was about to explode. He pointed the gun at Mellie and Olivia felt her heart stop.

"Choose your next words carefully, Mellie. They COULD very well be your last." Fitz voice dripped with venom and Olivia swore someone turned off the oxygen to her lungs.

"Whatever. Your sister told me you were probably here, then she kicks me out of her car-how RUDE BY THE WAY- and leaves without me-"Fitz cut Mellie off.

"Natalie? She brought you here? You know what, it doesn't even matter. You need to get out. NOW." Fitz boomed.

"You heard him, girl. Get out!"

It was the last straw for Olivia.

"I don't know what I expect right now. I don't know whether cameras are gonna pop out of nowhere and yell GOTCHA, I don't know if I'm dreaming, I don't know a DAMN THING. But I do know if you don't get the hell out of this house and refrain from calling me names, you will NOT live to see tomorrow." Olivia kept her voice even. She was beyond frustrated. _Who the fuck was this nut job anyway_?

Olivia thought Mellie had skipped her meds that day because the next thing she knew, Mellie was lunging at her. Olivia side-stepped, making Mellie miss her and landing on her face on the floor. Olivia took this opportunity to assist Mellie in leaving by grabbing her by the hair and escorting her out the door. Mellie used the last little bit of energy she had left to cry for Fitz to help her, but Fitz stood stock still-frozen in fear of Olivia's muscle and Mellie's craziness.

Mellie continued to beat and bang on the door until blue lights made her stop. Fitz had called the police and the police was accompanied by what appeared to be mental ward techs. Needless to say there was a lot of commotion until both Fitz and Olivia heard a piercing scream, followed by the thud of Mellie's body hitting the porch, and footsteps of them carrying her to their vehicle for transportation.

After Fitz spoke with the authorities, he returned inside the house. Olivia had gone upstairs to try to clear her head and Fitz made sure to check all locks and doors, as well as all rooms to make sure Natalie hadn't left anymore of her little gifts. He silently prayed Olivia hadn't been scared shitless and fully dressed, ready to leave.

When he made it up the stairs, Olivia was sitting on the bed, still donning only his button down. _Thank you, God._

"Penny for your thoughts? There must be some interesting ones floating in that pretty head of yours," Fitz said trying to lighten the mood.

Olivia looked up from her hands and he noticed a cell phone that wasn't hers. Olivia had a weird smirk grin on her face and Fitz approached her, wondering what she was doing.

"Actually, I was wondering A) Could we look any sexier on film and B) what was she gonna do with these?" Olivia stated as she waived the phone towards Fitz. What he saw made his stomach turn knots and he was completely and utterly embarrassed.

"Oh, God. Liv, I'm so-"

"Save it Fitz. What can you possibly say right now?"

It took Fitz about five seconds to realize that Olivia was laughing uncontrollably. He couldn't understand why. He took a double take at her as she fell back in the bed laughing even harder, tears rolling down her beautifully made cheeks.

"Livvie!?" Fitz asked.

_Has she lost her mind? _He thought.

As if on cue, Olivia sat up, wiping excess tears from her eyes and stood to face Fitz. He wanted to badly to take a step back, wondering if someone had released crazy gas into the air around him. He stood there, waiting for her explanation as to why she laughed like this was actually funny.

"Fitz, first of all, calm down. I'm not going anywhere." Olivia stated through half giggles.

Fitz waited-hoping she continued. She did.

"I'm not upset. Actually, I think it's funny. I want you to actually THINK about the situation at hand. You sister shows up here and you get her in check, which made me love you even more. We FINALLY consummate our relationship, only to be photographed by some crazy woman-who I assume knows you in some way, and she has to be hauled off by cops and white jacket makers, and you don't see any humor in this?" By now, Olivia was fully engulfed in laughter again.

Fitz thought about what she said she began to chuckle himself. He felt himself gradually relax as he thought of what she said more and more until one thing she said stuck out to him. He began to smile smugly at Olivia, which she caught, but decided to play dumb for him.

"What, Fitz?"

"So, you love me?"

"Who said that?" Olivia said as she walked past him and into the bathroom. She turned back to face him, unbuttoning her shirt in the process and let it hang open in front of him. His mouth began to water as he walked toward her, scooping her up and into the bathroom. Within 30 seconds, both were standing under the steaming shower head of the bathroom, facing one another.

"I love you too, Livvie."

"Ditto." She said against his lips.

**AN: What can I say? My mind is CRAZY! I love the chaos that ensues with them. Sometimes, your past can drive you up the wall and your family? Well some of them you probably wanna keep secluded. How about Natalie and her snide remarks to her mother? My mama would be holding my two front teeth right now! And Mellie? SERIOUSLY? Per some of your requests, I don't think she will be coming around again anytime soon. This story will likely take a small time jump (again) and probably be a little more mushy in the coming chapters. (FAIR WARNING)**

**If the racial slurs/statements in this chapter bother you, I apologize…its part of the story. But remember….**

**I'm black. My fiancé is white. NO I'M NOT RACIST! Hahahaha**

**It's a STORY…and if you have lived in the south dated outside your race EVER, you have heard worse than this. That's not a guess, that's FACT. How you choose to handle it is TOTALLY up to you cause EVERYBODY doesn't think this way. **

**MY STORY, MY RULES.**

**Another thing I wanted to say (and I will say on TBS as well) is these are my ideas and my stories. Whatever mood I'm feeling will reflect in my writing. I write what I want to write because its my prerogative. I LOVE that you guys enjoy these stories, but there are some of you who have NO FILTER when it comes to telling me how STUPID or UNREAL MY stories are. Guess what?**

**THEY ARE FICTION! RELAX! And if you don't like it, that same link has an opposite that will take you right back out where you came from! **

***Rant over***

**Thanks to everyone who enjoys what i write and do. I look forward to your reviews and CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM if you have any. **

**Any ideas on Natalie? What's she gonna do next?**

**As always, Happy reading! XOXO**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: 13 CHAPTERS! Thank you so much for sticking with this story! This is my first one, and the response has been overwhelming! I love these two SOOO much and I'm glad you guys do too! **** I figured on this scandal-less Thursday I would update my story. **

**Better late than never, right? **

**LONGER CHAPTER...You're welcome! **

**Happy reading! **

**XOXO**

**PS: I OWN NOTHING! ALL PROPS TO SR! **

TFTH

CH 14

Olivia was the first to wake up. The first thing that registered to her was the throbbing erection on her backside as she lay intertwined at the leg with Fitz. The only way to determine where one ended and another started was by the vast skin color of each body. Olivia glanced down and noticed her fingers interlocked with his. She marveled at how beautiful they looked next to each other.

As if it were possible to get any closer to him, Olivia nestled her body into him more. She was enjoying the closeness of their bodies and didn't want the moment to end at all. It was at that moment that she began to replay the recent events of her life. Two months had passed since the rendezvous at Fitz' family home. She smiled to herself thinking about what had transpired between her and the love of her life.

_FLASHBACK_

_The morning after the fiasco at the family home, Fitz made breakfast in bed for Olivia. It amazed her how comfortable she was in her own skin around him. He had slipped on boxer briefs to fix her breakfast as she remained as naked as the day she was born in bed. When she woke up and found him missing, she took the opportunity to go to the bathroom and freshen up. When she returned to the bed, she began to notice just how sore she was. _

_Making love into the night can do that to you, she thought to herself. _

_Fitz entered the bedroom to find her laying on her stomach in bed, arms wrapped around his pillow. Olivia was wide awake, and was enjoying the feeling of him stare holes into her nude body. Fitz carefully sat the tray of morning goodies on the desk in the bedroom and stood there, marveling at the beautiful woman God had placed in his presence. _

_As he stood there and watched her, he couldn't help but think back to all they had already been though as a couple. The death of her grandmother was at the forefront of his mind, and he was grateful that he didn't lose her in that ordeal. Everything from the battle of Elijah Pope to the fallout with Mellie, to the backward ways of Natalie hadn't done a thing to deter the progress he was making with this incredible woman. He felt himself become slightly emotional as he watched her small frame lay on her tummy spread eagle in his bed. _

_This woman is the epitome of perfect, He thought to himself. _

_I wonder how long he's gonna stand there, she thought to herself. _

_Fitz shook himself out of his haze as he noticed her breathing pattern change. She was awake and aware that he was watching her. Fitz knew she was trying to play possum with him, and he took the opportunity to show her who was boss (on some occasions anyway). _

_Fitz made his way to the bed as quietly as he could. He thought once to slip his boxers off and make sweet love to her, but he thought better of it as he noticed her now glistening lower lips mocking him. He instead crawled on top of her, taking in her scent as he climbed her body and lay gentle kisses on the back of her neck. She began to moan in his embrace and turned over to face her now lover. _

"_Good morning to you too." She said as she kissed his lips quickly. _

_What was meant to be a simple peck on the lips turned into a battle of tongues as both began to get caught up in the moment. Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck as he tongued her down with all his might. When air became a necessity, Fitz broke the kiss, their lips remaining millimeters from each other. Olivia opened her eyes and met his, seeing only admiration and love in them. _

"_Good morning, beautiful." Fitz said as he pecked her lips again. _

_He slipped off the bed, grabbed the tray, and made his way back to his waiting girlfriend. Olivia wasn't used to the attention she was getting and she felt extremely lucky and grateful for what was happening to her. Fitz took his time feeding her fruit from their feast, as well as exchanging kisses and sweet words as well. Olivia took a sip of juice from the tray, and Fitz took this as an opportunity to tell her what was on his mind. _

"_Livvie, how would you like to meet my mother?"_

_Olivia felt juice slip into her nose as she began to choke. _

"_Hunh?" She asked in between coughs. _

"_My mother. My family isn't all color resistant in the head, ya know." Fitz grinned at her. _

_Olivia couldn't hide the concern in her voice. "Are you sure it's a good idea? Natalie has probably-"_

"_Screw Natalie. I don't care about her. I care about you and I want my family to know exactly how much I do. They will love you because I do. My mother especially." Fitz said casually as he popped a grape into his mouth. _

_Olivia pondered this as she attempted to sip her juice again, desperate for a few moments to think. _

"_Ok…if you think it's a good idea, then-" _

_Fitz cut her off again. _

"_I know it is. TRUST me."_

_/_

_A week after they returned to Fitz' home from the lake, Fitz set up a small family dinner at his mother's home. Rose Grant thought this was a wonderful idea as she wanted so badly to meet Olivia and see where her mind was. She was a great judge of character, just like Fitz, and wanted to meet the woman who finally took her son's breath away. Fitz wanted it to be small and intimate, only wanting it to be Olivia, him, his mother, and Nate. Rose insisted he invite Natalie. Fitz was cautious of this, but he knew if Rose said this, she likely had a plan. _

_Olivia spent that week contacting her team with her new idea. She wanted to stay in the south and wanted to open a new firm right in the heart of the state. Her team thought this was a great idea and thus the plan for expansion began. This occupied her week to the fullest, only getting to spend quality time with Fitz in the evening to go to bed so Fitz didn't exactly get to inform her of the dinner date being set until the night of. _

"_So, what do you want for dinner?" Olivia asked Fitz that evening. _

"_Whatever my mom decides is fine with me. She can cook, ya know." Fitz joked. _

_The room grew quiet and it took Fitz exactly 5 seconds to realize that Olivia had no idea what he was talking about. _

"_Oops…Ok, Livvie, don't freak out, but-" _

"_BUT!?" Olivia almost yelled. _

_It was too late. The freak-out session had already began._

"_I sorta-kinda set up a dinner meeting for us with my family." Fitz revealed. Olivia wanted to be upset with him, but it was hard to do. As she spun around to face him, he looked as if he was flinching and shew as about to smack him in the face. _

"_You sorta-kinda? As in, it's already been planned, right?" Olivia confirmed. _

"_Yeah. Baby listen. I wasn't tryna go over your head. You've been so busy lately with your team doing God knows what and I didn't want to burden you anymore." Fitz was trying to explain. _

_Any sign of anger left Olivia quickly as she realized she too had a secret. She had yet to inform Fitz of her intention to move part of her business to the south to be close to him. She felt guilty and it must have been written on her face because the next sentence confirmed what she was thinking. _

"_Speaking of…what HAVE you guys been up to, Livvie?" Fitz asked. He could look at her facial expression and see something was different. She currently looked like the cat who ate the canary as she shuffled her feet and avoided his gaze. _

"_Nothing. So when were you gonna tell me about this dinner?" Olivia tried to mock anger, but her amusement was all over her face. _

_Fitz was slightly caught off guard by her not being upset. She began to seductively walk towards him, swaying her hips a little more than usual. He felt his pants begin to get tighter and swallowed the lump in this throat. _

_He was speechless. _

"_Hello?" Olivia asked as she was finally standing in front of him. _

"_Well, I- UH…" Fitz said as he looked her up and down. She was never more beautiful to him than when she bore her natural hair state, wore only panties, and one of his button down shirts. _

"_Doesn't matter." She said matter-of-factly as she put her fingers to his lips. _

_He went to wrap his hands around her waist, and she continued to tease him by licking her lips. She got on her tiptoes and licked the outer part of his ear, earning a generous groan from him. He attempted to slip his hands underneath the fabric of her shirt and pulled her closer to him, crashing her body into his now fully engorged penis._

"_Oh no, you can put that back where it came from, cause since I have a DINNER to attend to night, I have to get ready." Olivia finished. She gave him a quick smooch on the lips and left his embrace. Fitz was left there with an erection that wouldn't wait and a dumb and defeated look on his face. _

"_Liivvviiiee?" he whined. _

_She walked her seductive walk into the bathroom to get dressed and he conceded that she had indeed won this round. _

_A few hours later, the couple arrived at Rose Grant's home. Olivia was the picture of calm until Fitz pulled into his mother's driveway. She began to feel her palms get sweaty and for a split second, contemplated cancelling the dinner. She was terrified that if someone in his family didn't like her, he would leave her and deep down, she had been dreading meeting his family for months now. _

_As if he could hear her thoughts, Fitz put the truck in park and grabbed her hand. He kissed her knuckles, looking deep in her eyes, and said, "Livvie, please calm down. They are going to LOVE you. You know why?"_

_Olivia shook her head._

"_Because I do." Fitz kissed her until he could feel her body begin to calm down. _

_When they made it to the front door, Olivia smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles in her turquoise sundress and pulled imaginary lint off of his shirt. She also wore gold bangles on her wrist, her hair was in loose curls around her face, and she had on gold 4 inch sandals. Fitz wore a simple white button down, brown slacks, and loafers. _

"_You sure you wanna do this?" She asked him. _

_Fitz gave her a knowing smile and pressed the doorbell. _

_Olivia turned around to face whoever opened the door. She felt Fitz lean closer to her, kissing her cheek, and place his hand on her lower back. She glanced over at him and was able to catch his smooth and calm demeanor before the door was opened. _

"_Fitz! What's up, man?" Nathan asked. Fitz released her lower back to shake hands with his brother and give him a hug. He pulled back and Olivia swallowed as Nathan's gaze lowered to her. _

"_And this must be Olivia. It's nice to meet you." Nathan extended his hand to her and she grabbed it. She noticed how he didn't wipe his hand after shaking hers and this eased her nervousness a little._

"_You as well. I've heard nothing but nice things about you." _

"_Well I wish I could say the same-"Nathan began, "but the negative things were from someone who doesn't even matter. Please, come in." _

_Olivia shot Fitz a look that said a thousand words and Fitz winked his eye at her. At that moment, Fitz wished Nathan had more of a brain-mouth filter than he actually had. _

"_Mom's in the kitchen. She's making your favorite and they've been in there for quite some time now." Nathan stated. _

"_They?" Olivia asked. At that moment, she wished she had gotten a guest list from Fitz. _

"_Yeah. Nat has her dumb ass in there too." _

_Olivia felt her stomach drop. Fitz placed his hand on her lower back again, and Nathan took this as his cue to continue. _

"_Don't worry, Olivia. I understand why Natalie said what she said now." _

_Olivia looked at Nathan and braced herself for something rude and vile to be spat at her. _

_Fitz waited for Nathan's charm to turn on. He didn't have to wait long. _

"_Cause you are extraordinarily beautiful. She probably couldn't help herself." Nathan winked at Olivia. She felt herself blush and Fitz tighten his grip around her waist now. _

"_Aye! Back off, Nate! NOT AVAILABLE." Fitz joked with his brother. _

"_Just stating the facts." _

_The kitchen door opened and Rose Grant appeared in the doorway. _

"_Fitzgerald!" Rose exclaimed. At first sight, you would think she hadn't seen her son in ages. In reality, it was only a few weeks. _

"_Hey mama." Olivia smiled at how he said this like a child. She inwardly cooed at how he and his mother embraced. Rose rubbed Fitz back as he bent down to hug his mother. Olivia stood to the side, admiring the love she felt radiate from mother and son. _

"_And you must be Olivia. My goodness, Fitz. She is a jewel." Rose approached Olivia. Olivia stuck her hand out to shake, and Rose ignored it, pulling her in for a hug._

"_No, child. We hug in this house. Didn't you get the memo?" Rose joked with Olivia as she embraced her. Olivia laughed at Rose genuinely until she glanced up and Natalie was in her eyesight. Natalie looked like she smelled something and wanted to smile at the same time. Olivia thought to herself that this HAD to be making her uncomfortable. _

"_Olivia, nice to see you again." Natalie said though gritted teeth. _

_Rose released Olivia and Olivia wanted nothing more than to tell Natalie off. Instead, she chose to ignore her new enemy's demeanor and extended her hand to Natalie. They shook, and the dreaded pant wipe made an appearance again. _

"_Natalie, be polite. Olivia should probably wash her hands since there's no telling where YOURS have been." Nathan said. _

_Olivia tried to stifle a laugh, but Fitz failed and laughed out loud. Natalie's cheeks turned slightly red and Rose ended the small feud. _

"_Both of you, shush. Olivia, I was just finishing up dinner. Would you like to join me in the kitchen?"  
_

_Natalie's mouth hung open. Olivia accepted, leaving Nathan and Fitz to talk. _

_When dinner was finally served, Olivia sat next to Fitz, Natalie sat next to Nate, and Rose sat at the head of the table, leaving an empty seat on the other end. Dinner was slightly awkward when something was said that involved Natalie speaking, but conversation flowed easily between the other people at the table. _

_After desert was served, Rose asked Natalie and Nate to clear the table. Olivia offered to help, but Rose declined, saying they could handle it on their own. Natalie felt like someone had gut punched her as she cleared where Olivia had eaten. She was passed pissed at having to clean up after someone of color, thinking to herself that the roles should DEFINITELY be reversed. Rose caught onto Natalie's attitude and took the opportunity to speak on the elephant in the room. _

"_Olivia, I want to apologize for my daughter's behavior the other week. When I found out what happened, it angered me to no end. Dear child, my daughter was raised to believe a lie and getting that out of her will be the death of me, but know this: You are MORE than welcome in this household. Any friend of Fitz is a CHILD of mine. Do you understand me?" Rose spoke directly to Olivia, holding he hand. _

"_Yes Ma'am. I understand. You don't have to apologize for Natalie. Truth be told, there are probably people in my family that won't agree with what Fitz and I am doing either. People can think what they want. It isn't stopping our show." Olivia said as Fitz embraced her hand on the table now. _

_Natalie stood by the door in shock. Her own mother had taken Olivia in like she was her own and it angered her to see this happen. She was conflicted. She didn't want to feel like the outsider of her family, but she felt like she was destroying what her father had instilled in her. She silently slipped back into the kitchen and Rose winked her eye at Fitz. _

_Olivia excused herself to the bathroom, leaving Fitz and Rose in the dining area. Rose asked Fitz to accompany her to her bedroom and gave him two boxes. _

"_The first one is dear to me because it was from my childhood. My mother gave this to me and I was hoping to give this to Natalie one day, but I think it will be better for you. My mother was against racism as I am and she gave me this ring as a symbol of equality, making me promise to always treat people the way I want to be treated no matter what. I can see the love you have for her and if I know you like I think I do, your mind is moving awful fast. Don't scare her away, boy! Give her this ring as a promise also-not of a union, but as a promise to always be there for her no matter what." Rose gave Fitz the first ring. The beautiful gold ring was designed to split in the middle, giving it a double feature look, but was one solid piece. _

"_Mom, it's beautiful. Don't you think you are moving a bit fast? A ring this early would send any woman in their right mind running for the hills." Fitz joked as he leaned against his mother's dresser. _

_Rose smiled at her son. "I doubt it. Besides, I didn't tell you to give her this one." Rose opened the second box and Fitz was speechless. Inside he found a diamond encrusted engagement ring. The band was silver and shined so bright it was blinding. The diamond on the top was not too big and not too small and was accented by smaller diamond clusters on each side. _

"_Close your mouth, son." Rose laughed. _

"_Ma! Where on earth..? Fitz began. Rose shushed him. _

"_Quiet, boy. We don't have a lot of time to do this. I want you to have this because I know deep down you are gonna need it pretty soon. Olivia is as rare as the diamonds on this ring. It's worth more than your business cleared in the last 5 years and I want you to use it wisely. If Olivia doesn't turn out to be the one, which I doubt, then give it to whoever it turns out to be. I want you to have it because it is a symbol of what you are to each other. Different, but beautiful." _

_Fitz let a single tear slip down his cheek and hugged his mother with all his might. _

_When they arrived back at Fitz home, Olivia was knocked out. Rose's cooking definitely did the trick in giving her the 'itis, and Fitz smiled at her. He took the opportunity of her light snoring to look at the first ring Rose gave him. He took it out of the box and slipped it on her index finger, kissing it once he had it in place. Olivia didn't stir, so Fitz exited the car and carried her to bed. He lay her in bed and removed her clothing, leaving her in nothing but her bra and panties. _

_Fitz took this opportunity to go shower, hoping not to wake her. He wanted to be with her when she noticed the ring on her hand. _

_Olivia woke up to the smell of Fitz' body wash and smiled to herself. She stretched, running her fingers to her wild hair trying to tame it, and hissed when a lock of hair got snagged in the ring. She jumped off the bed and went to the nearest mirror, trying to detach her finger from her hair. That's when she noticed it. _

_She squinted at the image of a ring on her finger in the mirror, then snatched her hand from her head and looked at it as if it was a 6__th__ finger. She twisted her finger around to see the ring better and rolled it around on her finger. She tried to process where she got it from, and at that very moment, Fitz emerged from the bathroom in only Navy blue stripped pajama pants. _

"_Fitz? Wha…?" Olivia began but was speechless. _

_Fitz walked a little closer to her and halted, wanting to give her ample space for when she began to pace. _

"_Look, Livvie. I love you. I am in love with you. You are the love of my life. We've been through so much together already and it has only made us stronger. I know a ring can mean a million things in a relationship. In this particular relationship, this particular ring is a promise. A promise from me to you that no matter what obstacles we face or what happens, you are it for me. I want you to look at this ring and think of me no matter where you are. I want you to know that even if I'm not with you, I'm really WITH you. Will you please accept this promise from me?" Fitz was not standing directly in front of Olivia, figuring if she was gonna pace she would have started by now. _

_Olivia couldn't hide the shock on her face. As she registered what Fitz was saying to her, she didn't say a word. She took the ring off and handed it to him. _

_Fitz' face dropped and he was about to protest when Olivia stopped him. Tears were now streaming down her face. _

"_Can I at least witness you putting it on for me?" She asked though even more tears and a cracking voice. _

_Fitz felt himself begin to cry also and placed the ring on her left pointer finger as she requested, sealing it with a kiss as he had earlier that night. _

_Olivia grabbed his face, kissing him with all her might that night and said the one thing she knew would allow her to show him how much she loved him. _

"_Fitz, take me to bed." _

_/_

_Now two months later, Olivia did as she had done every morning since that night. She kissed her hand that always seemed to be intertwined with his somehow in the morning. Fitz shifted in his sleep, waking up to the feel of her lips on his hand. He glanced down, smiling at her usual act of kissing their united hands and the ring he had given her. _

"_Good morning, beautiful." He said as he kissed her cheek from the side. _

"_Good morning, handsome." _

_The love he saw in her eyes seemed to grow daily and he too remembered that night like it was yesterday. The second box was beginning to burn a hole in his desk drawer at work and he now knew that it was time. _

_He was going to propose to Olivia._

AN: I hear wedding bells! I will go ahead and fore warn you guys now. There will be a bit of angst sooner or later, but NOTHING like losing Nana. I am OLITZ FOR LIFE and they ARE endgame. But hey, shit is going too good right now…Right?

Natalie feels left out! Serves her right for being so damn narrow minded! Nathan is an outspoken charmer and I think he and Olivia will become good friends-if he can keep his innocent paws to himself! Rose is so sweet and in love with Olivia. Rose reminds me of my own soon to be mother in law.

The rings! UGH, so sweet! I love writing their mush…

Review please!

Happy reading!

XOXO


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: I apologize, yall! I think I finally found my juice again for this story…so without further ADO….**

**TFTH **

**CH 15**

One month later…..

Olivia sat on the edge of her bed listening to her friend from college, Fiona, talk about her weekend with her new beau. Getting reacquainted with Fiona turned out to be the distraction Olivia needed as she stressed over opening a southern branch of her law firm. The two friends ran into each other in Fitz' store one day when Olivia was there to bring him lunch.

"I gotta tell ya," Fiona started,"Fitz is a catch! Such a cutie pie! A lot of women have had their eyes on him for quite some time now."

Olivia smiled. "To be honest, Fi, we just bumped into each other and it happened from there. I really think maybe I should go play the lottery since I'm so lucky."

Both ladies laughed.

"Have yall gotten any static over being an interracial couple?"

Olivia groaned. "FI, that's more of an understatement. His sister is the worst for me because I want his family to love me so bad."

Fiona smacked her lips. "See? That's why I date women. Less drama, they usually don't wanna take you to meet their mama, and it don't matter if you see me with a white woman because for all you know, we could be coworkers or friends."

Olivia clicked her tongue. "The double standards are ridiculous! I swear…"

The women decided to have lunch later that week and ended the phone call. Olivia stood and stretched, noting how she felt extremely tired even though she had slept all night. Fitz had left to go to his store to handle a payroll issue and she was left in his home alone.

Olivia made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. She grabbed a jar of peanut butter, dipping a spoon in to get a generous chunk and began to lick it as if it were an ice cream cone.

_Or maybe Fitz' nice juicy-_

"Livvie?" Fitz came through the door. Olivia was startled out of her inappropriate daydream by her sexy companion.

"Uh, Hey!" She said as she went to plant a kiss on his lips. When they parted, Fitz licked his lips and asked, "Peanut butter?"

"Yeah. Strange, right?" Olivia commented as she padded back into the kitchen.

Fitz shrugged it off as just another craving and went to join her in the kitchen. He placed the bag she hadn't noticed on the counter.

"I figured you would have had breakfast by now, but judging by the fact that it's almost noon and you're still in your pajamas from last night, I'd say maybe not." Fitz smirked.

Olivia placed her peanut butter snack on the countertop and walked seductively over to Fitz.

"How would you know? I didn't even wear pajamas last night." Olivia said as she ran her hands up and down his chest.

Fitz was already turned on. He had to think fast in order to make sure the bulge in his pants didn't become noticeable. In the last 2 weeks, Olivia had become a horn dog-for lack of a better term- and while he LOVED it, he honestly just needed a day to relax his body. He had never had issues with stamina and Olivia was making him question his own manhood.

Grabbing her hands, Fitz stopped her sexual progress. "Hey, how about we go out today? It's a beautiful day and later on it's supposed to storm. We could enjoy the day while it's nice out."

Olivia wasn't having it.

"Or we could enjoy it in here instead." She kissed him, and Fitz immediately took her flush against his body. His penis actually began to ache, and he knew if he was going to get anything done with her today, they had to quit.

Fitz broke the kiss and he swore he witnessed a complete mood change in a nanosecond.

"What are you doing? Yo….you….you don't want me?" Olivia asked. Her tone had went from beautiful seductress to heartbroken 4 year old just that quick.

"It's not that, Livvie. Of COURSE I do. I just thought you might want to-"

Before Fitz could finish his sentence, Olivia was running up his stairs.

"Hey! Livvie, wait!"

Fitz was in such a panic hoping he didn't hurt her feelings, which seemed to be all over the place lately, he didn't notice her holding her hand over her mouth as she ran.

When he got to the bathroom where she had gone, he saw the culprit. There she was, bent over the toilet heaving out her guts. Fitz HATED puke, but he hated seeing his precious Livvie this sick more so he went over to her and held her hair with one hand as he stroked her back with the other.

"Don't touch me!" She wailed in between gags. This didn't stop Fitz. When Olivia was done, she flushed the toilet and put the top down, turning around to sit on it as she lay her head in her lap.

"Uhhhh…" She moaned.

Fitz rinsed out a wash cloth and put it around the back of her neck. Her skin felt like it was on fire and she looked like she was sweating.

"No…stop. You don't have to-"

Fitz dropped eye level to Olivia and cut her off, kissing her forehead.

"Hey, hush. Whatever is wrong, I'm not going anywhere. Quit tryna push me away." Fitz tried to reason with her.

"Why? You pushed me away just a few minutes ago." Olivia quipped back.

Fitz let that comment roll off of his sleeve as well and stay in place, rubbing circles in her thighs. They sat in silence and Fitz could feel her resolve slipping away as she stared into his eyes. Neither said anything for a few minutes and finally Olivia broke the silence.

"Whatever. Can you just hand me my bag? I need to brush my teeth."

"You sure do." Fitz laughed. Any other time, this would have been funny to Olivia but today, she looked at him with fire in her eyes and Fitz swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Keep talking shit…" Fitz was startled by her language. Olivia normally didn't swear unless something was seriously wrong.

"…And we will see what happ-" Olivia was bent down rummaging through her bag but all of a sudden she began to sit straight up. Fitz thought she was about to throw up again and motioned for her to turn back to the toilet. The ice look on Olivia's face told him something was definitely wrong.

"Fitz, What day is it?" Olivia asked as she stood up.

Fitz went to answer her but by that time, she was already standing in front of the calendar on bathroom wall. She turned around to face him and while her face was calm, her eyes showed absolute horror.

"Livvie? Baby, what's wrong?"

Olivia took a deep breath, tears beginning to burn the brim of her eyes as she finally made eye contact with him. Fitz glanced down at her bag and noticed a fresh box of Tampax sitting there.

"I'm late."

/

After an impromptu trip to the local CVS, Fitz practically ran back into the house with a large bag.

"So that's what took you so long? You decided to show a little?" Olivia snapped at him. She knew she was being unreasonable but something in her was just NOT happy with him and he couldn't do anything right. She felt guilty and her mind was screaming to FILTER but she honestly couldn't help it.

"Actually…" Fitz let his sentence trail off as he poured the contents of his bag on the bed. There lay a few bottles of ginger ale, a box of saltine crackers, and 4 boxes of 5 count pregnancy tests.

"Fitz! What the hell? I don't produce this much urine in a whole week!" She exclaimed.

To say Fitz was excited was an understatement. Olivia could throw a brick in his face right now and he would probably smile with whatever teeth he had left because his mind was racing a mile a minute. The only thing on his agenda was caring for his Livvie and anyone else that might be taking her body hostage at this time.

"I just thought….never mind." While Fitz was happy that she might be expecting, he couldn't hide the pain her sharp words caused. Fitz was normally a man who wore his heart on his sleeves and Olivia had NEVER spoken to him this way. It hurt him and he made a mental note that if she wasn't pregnant, they would need to be having a conversation about respect and their relationship soon.

"So, when I wake up the morning, I'll take one of these and-" Olivia was cut off by Fitz.

"What? What's wrong with doing it now?"

"Fitz, these tests are usually more accurate when you take them with the first urination. Or, did you NOT read the label before you purchased it?" Olivia snarled at him.

Fitz generally thought twice before he spoke, but she caught him off guard this time.

"At least I went and got the damn things which is more than you have done considering the situation we might be in. Instead, you have done nothing but clown me all damn DAY!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them.

For a split second, Olivia allowed her emotions to show on her face. HURT. But she soon covered them and stood to go take one of the tests in the bathroom. Fitz hated arguing with her but he hated how she had been treating him lately as well and enough was enough. His hand itched so badly to grab her hand as she went into the bathroom and pull her into an embrace, but he was irritated and if she had snapped at him again, they probably would be sleeping separate tonight.

He sat on the previous spot she had occupied as he began to dip deep in thought. Was he ready for this? Did he want a child right now? If she was pregnant, could he deal with her being the wicked witch of the South for 9 months? What if she had more than one?

All the answers to his questions came to him at once as he watched the most beautiful woman he had ever lay eyes on standing in the bathroom threshold shuffling her bare feet and staring at him. He held out his hands and she walked between his legs, planting her bottom on his left thigh and depositing her head in the crook of his shoulders.

"Fitz, I'm so sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me-well, obviously I know what got into me-," She smiled lightly as she poked his side, "but I just, I don't know why I'm being so mean. I don't understand. You have done nothing but treat me like gold all day and I just-" She was becoming emotional again.

Fitz cut her off by kissing her deeply, relieved that she reciprocated the kiss. There was no sexual nature to this kiss but only love and affection. They sat forehead to forehead and inhaled each other's exhale as they finished the countdown to the big reveal.

When Fitz was sure 3 minutes were up, he stood Olivia up and grabbed her hand. They both walked toward the bathroom, able to feel the other's pulse racing though their hand connection.

Fitz grinned as he noticed all 5 tests from the box she took in the bathroom on the counter.

"A week, hunh?" Olivia blushed, gently smacking him on the arm.

"I had to pee. I figured I may as well put it to good use." She laughed.

All 5 tests were face down and they stood in front of the mirror, staring at their reflections for what seemed like an eternity.

"Ready?" Fitz asked.

"As I'll ever be." Olivia answered.

/

The weather in Alabama had always been a subject of discussion amongst its residents. Everyone that lived there knew there was and always had been 2 tornado seasons. One in the spring and a lighter one in the winter. With it being December, it should have come as no surprise when both Fitz and Olivia's phones began to chime for a tornado warning instantly. Fitz glanced over at his phone as Olivia stirred.  
"Fitz, what's…"

"Liv, get up. Now! Let's go!"

"What's wrong?" Olivia's answer was given in the form of the tornado siren starting up. She jumped up, slipping her black tights on, forgoing her panties and slipping on one of Fitz' Navy T-shirts. By the time she had the shirt halfway down her body, he was grabbing her hand to leave. It was already storming outside, and in the rush to leave, neither worried about an umbrella.

Once inside the Fitz' truck, it dawned on Olivia. "Fitz, why didn't we just go to the basement?"

Flooring the truck backward, Fitz answered, "Because I feel much safer getting you into something built to withstand this."

The neighborhood Fitz lived in had come together to purchase a community storm shelter. Any and everyone in the area during a threating storm was welcome to take refuge in the sturdy building, which was semi-built into the ground for more strength. True, Fitz had a basement, but he felt it safer to get Olivia into the shelter.

As they entered the shelter with about 15 other people and found a seat, Olivia began to get worried. The tornado sirens continued to wail as the winds picked up outside. With no windows, the only time she could see what was happening outside was when someone new came into the shelter. The last family entered the building and the door was flung backward by the winds.

Olivia grasped Fitz' body as she watched the father and about 3 other volunteers fight the winds to close the door again.

"This must be serious. Hang on, Livvie." Fitz went to grab his phone and check for any updates from the news but found this task rather difficult as Olivia kept a vice grip on his body.

Kissing her forehead, he opened the weather app on his phone only to be given a "no signal" message.

"I don't have any-"

"Fitz?"

Fitz heart dropped at the familiar voice. He prayed a quick silent prayer to God that this wasn't the case. After all, he had finally gotten Liv to calm down and at the rate she had been going, he was sure her tongue was sharp and ready to go right now. Before he could respond to the person, Olivia spoke up.

"Natalie?"

"Wow, what a surprise. What are you two doing here?" Natalie tried to make small talk and patted Olivia on the back as she walked by.

_What am I, a puppy? Do I look like I need to be….WAIT. Did she just TOUCH me without wiping her hands?  
_Olivia looked at Fitz sister as if she had 2 heads. Suddenly another voice came into the conversation.

"LIVIA!"

Everyone turned to Olivia as she acknowledged the presence of the fourth person.

"Fiona? What are you…?"

"I'm here with Natalie. We just left dinner and was driving through the streets when the sirens went off. She showed me Fitz house and I saw your car outside. I wanted to stop by and say hi, but Nat thought-"

"Fiona! Wow, that's A LOT of details. Why don't we go sit over THERE." Natalie suggested rather intensely.

The outside noise from the wind went silent. Everyone in the building went silent as well, as most knew what this meant. The change in pressure in the building sent Olivia's stomach into a frenzy and before she could protest, she turned her back, grabbed the nearest trash can, and barfed her dinner contents into it.

"Geez! SERIOUSLY? Like that's ALL we need right now."

"SHUT UP, NATALIE!" Fitz barked.

"Why? Why should I shut up? She just-" Natalie tried to argue.

"SHE'S PREGNANT!" Fitz bellowed.

Before anyone could register to comment, the lights went black and what sounded like a freight train began to shake the building.

**AN: IM SO SORRY, YALL! I have had serious writers block with this story! This is still my baby story and I used to wonder about other FF writers saying they had the block….until now! I totally understand! **

**I know this story has taken a bit of a turn and don't worry, Baby Grant is FINE! Olitz SHOULD be fine…I haven't quite decided yet but I WILL say that they ARE ENDGAME, so don't panic. (not for them!) NO SPOILERS! **

**Let me know what you think. I live in the south and have actually had this experience before with tornados. SEVERAL TIMES. Trust me, seeing pictures of April 2011 in the media was NOTHING compared to actually living through it…but that's neither here nor there. **

**Livvie's pregnant? She's a different kinda bitch with these hormones, ain't she? HAHAHA Fitz is such a sweetie for NOT putting her in her place sooner….LOL….**

**SOOOOO….Natalie is out to dinner with Fiona? Driving around Fitz' neighborhood? Predictions? (yeah, you are probably thinking correctly…HAHA)**

**Overall predictions? Let me know what yall think! **

**Happy reading! **

**XOXO**


	16. Chapter 16

TFTH

CH 16

After Olivia's vomiting subsided, both she and Fitz remained locked in each other's embrace with Fitz keeping an arm securely wrapped around her shoulders and her head tucked away in his neck. Natalie seemed to have been completely silenced by Fitz exclaiming Liv was indeed pregnant and Fiona suddenly felt like she was intruding on a rather personal family conversation.

Fiona wanted so badly to go over to Liv and make sure she was alright, but the looks she received from Natalie were so mixed in nature that she couldn't determine what to do next. She also noticed the looks Natalie shot Fitz and Livia as they sat across from them. Deciding to store that info for later, Fiona didn't speak on the elephant in the room.

_I'm missing something…I just KNOW it…_Fiona thought.

"Fitz," Liv whispered.

"Livvie, you are ok. We are ALL ok." Fitz stated as she rubbed circles in her back.

"I know, I just…that's not it. What are we gonna do now?" She asked. Truth be told, she had been a nervous wreck ever since Fitz spilled the beans about her pregnancy. She wasn't afraid- HELL NO! She was actually just relieved, but she wanted people to find out in a good way, not the way she would bet her life on that Natalie was going to reveal it.

"What do you me-" Fitz stopped as he realize what she meant. He glanced over at Natalie, who seemed to be staring into space. He truly felt sorry for her because she looked torn. He hated that she had taken so much of their father's teachings to heart.

He continued, "We are gonna live, Livvie. Nothing and NOBODY is gonna change the way we feel about each other. I love you," he stopped talking to raise her chin so that she was staring directly into his eyes, "You are the love of my life. You have my heart and I would move heaven and earth to make you happy. We are gonna be a family, baby, and it's gonna be great." He finished.

Liv nodded eagerly, hanging on his every word.

"It's gonna be great." She repeated in a whisper.

Fitz nodded and kissed her lips as reassurance.

Hours later, daylight began to show form under the steel enforced door. The men in the shelter all stood and made their way outside.

"All clear. You ladies can come on out." One of the men came back to the door to advise them.

Liv, as well as the other women, stood and began to gather their belongings. Natalie made her way towards Liv, but Fiona beat her to Liv and offered her a hand. Natalie eyed Fiona, but Fiona refused to make eye contact with her.

When the women emerged from the shelter, what they saw made them all freeze.

Destruction.

That's the only word that came to mind as Olivia exited the shelter with Fiona and the others.

Absolute Destruction.

There was a clear path of destruction even though the sun was not even up yet. After the storm blew over, several followed the same path as they seemed to run a train track through the area. The inhabitants of the storm shelter all decided to stay put as it was reported that there was wide spread damage and power outages.

Now outside, everyone stood silently and thanked God for their lives. The scene unfolding was almost unreal.

There was nothing standing on one side of the street for miles. Homes were demolished, and the ones opposite that side of the street sustained MAJOR damage. There were police officers present and firetrucks in route could be heard from miles away. Liv finally found herself searching for Fitz, and found him near his truck. All the vehicles seemed to have minor damage, with the exception of one dark colored sedan that was overturned. Liv walked up to Fitz, trying to read the expression his face. He seemed distant as he stared at his truck and at that point, Liv really looked at it.

The Ford pickup back window was cracked and both back door windows were blown out. Besides slight hail damage, that was it but Fitz was pretty sure this would cost him a fortune. He was more concerned about Livvie. As she approached him, he could look at her and tell her mind was elsewhere. He watched as she walked toward him in almost haze.

"Hey, Livvie, it's ok. It's just a little damage. Could've been a lot worse. Don't worry baby." Fitz tried to console her blindly.

"It's not the car. It's the house." Liv stated almost above a whisper.

"No, I spoke to the police already and it's fine-" Fitz was confused because he didn't understand where this was coming from.

"No. Just…No." Liv said as she began to weep silently. Fitz pulled her into his embrace, trying to console her. Her health and the health of the baby were the only thing on his mind.

"Livvie, please tell me what's wrong. I can't fix it if-" Fitz was cut off by someone.

"Whatever that officer over there told her completely broke her heart." Fiona said as she approached.

Liv finally pulled away from Fitz and looked him in the eyes and he could see total and complete hurt radiating from her as she spoke, tears threatening to spill like a cup overfull.

"It's…It's Nana's house."

/

Fitz made it to the street Elizabeth's home was on in record time. He was stopped down the street from her home by police tape and officers asking for ID to enter. From what he could see, the entire neighborhood looked leveled. He didn't want to, but he snuck a few glances at Liv and the look of horror and despair on her face was enough to make his heart burst into pieces.

"Livvie, baby, listen to me," Fitz started as he put his wallet away again.

Silence.

"Livvie, I want you safe. This is gonna be really hard to look at and take in. I'm…I'm worried about you and the baby." Fitz said as he willed her look at him. She looked at him and glanced back at the makeshift road in front of her. She nodded and Fitz put the Ford into 4 wheel drive, pressing slowly down the street over all types of debris.

/

6 weeks later

"I know, ma. I really haven't done a whole lot, but I am really tired. I think I'm gonna just go to bed." She said timidly.

"Liv, baby, let me know if I can do anything. You really need to get more rest. I don't know what's going on, but maybe a doctor could help." Maya started.

Liv heard Fitz pulling into the yard and decided to cut the conversation off. She had pretty much moved in with him full time now since Nana's house was leveled. It had taken Fitz approximately 2 weeks to help her understand that it was ok to let go. All the late night crying, mood swings, and depressed looks seemed to be fading away and he couldn't be happier. To say he was concerned about her and their unborn baby was an understatement.

"Yeah, I hear you. I gotta run. I love both you and Dad." Liv said and disconnected the phone without giving Maya a chance to hold her up anymore. Fitz and she had decided to keep the pregnancy a secret for a few weeks and, shockingly, Natalie agreed to go along with it.

She jumped up and went to the door, smoothing out her sundress and flipping her hair a few times on her head. She had missed Fitz so badly the entire day and she wanted a few moments to talk to him before all the events planned that evening took place.

When he walked through the door, he smiled at the sight at him. His Livvie was glowing, her body barely showing any sign of the bundle of joy occupying her stomach, but he could swear her hips and breasts were fuller.

"Hi."

"Hi." She replied. She strolled up to him lacing her arms around his neck and gave him the sweetest, softest kiss she could.

"How was your day?" She asked as she helped him out of his tie.

"Long. We are finally getting things back to normal." Fitz's market had suffered damage from the storm, but it was limited to only a few broken widows and missing shingles on the roof.

"I'm sorry. I missed you." She smiled. Fitz gave her a look, knowing something was up.

"I missed you too." He kissed her lips again as he rested his hands on her waist.

"Spill it."

Liv feigned shock. "Spill what, Fitz?"

Fitz gave her a knowing look and she just shook it off. He didn't doubt she missed him, but he could smell a set up from a mile away.

Liv drug him to the couch and sat him down, unbuttoning his shirt and sliding it down her shoulders. The t-shirt he wore under it looked like it was painted on as his muscles bulged out of the poor piece of fabric. Her mouth began to water and she gave her hips a little more of a sway, walking behind him to rub is shoulders. She ignored the hot wetness beginning to pool between her legs.

"Feel good?" She asked as Fitz momentarily forgot about the fact that she had something up her sleeve. Her hands felt so good and his head began to hang, chin to chest.

"Yessss." Fitz answered.

"MMMMMM…good." Liv replied as she placed a sensual kiss on his neck.

A few moments later, Liv went in for the kill.

"So…I was thinking about tonight." She started.

Fitz cracked open one eye as she stopped his massage and came around the couch, planting her bottom beside him and her head on his chest. He embraced her, ready for whatever she was about to throw at him.

"Yes…AND?" Fitz exaggerated. His voice would tell you that he was irritated, but he was anything but. He actually enjoyed watching her squirm from wanting something. She was generally such a timid person and he wanted to get it out of her.

"And…I was thinking we could invite Natalie and Fiona as well."

Fitz tensed up immediately and Liv knew what was coming. She moved to straddle him before he could stand and move away from her, thoroughly embracing her ability to coerce him into whatever she wanted with her body.

"Livvie, I really don't want to deal with the drama tonight. Why can't it just be us? My mom, Nate, you and me? It's supposed to be a peaceful dinner and our big announcement" Fitz half way whined as he began to rub her belly.

"Because. Natalie kept her word and didn't reveal our secret. She wants to reveal hers to your family tonight and-"

"Geez, Liv! No way!" Fitz bellowed. Liv tightened her thighs around his waist and began to swivel on his lap.

"Wait, Fitz. Just listen. I know she doesn't like me and probably doesn't care for the one in our oven right now either, but it is her blood. I love Natalie because she's kin to you and I want to return the favor she did for us. Fiona asked if they could do the big reveal over here to soften the blow-so to speak." She plead her case as she felt Fitz' member begin to come to life.

"Liv, no… What about our own good news?" He said as she began to kiss her neck.

_Damn, I almost gave it away…_He thought to himself.

She pulled back to look him in the eye, placing one hand on his cheek and the other still around his neck. "Please?" She pouted.

"If I say yes…will you stop talking about Natalie and her lesbian affairs for the next 20 minutes?"

"Why?" She answered in her most seductive voice.

AN: Hey yall! Not too sure about this chapter, but it's been so long and I miss these two so much! I couldn't put them thru TOO much more drama…I'm still dealing with the loss of Nana!

So….Fitz had a secret planned too? Wonder what it is? I will update this sooner than you all think and as always, please review! Thanks!

Happy Reading!

XOXO


	17. Chapter 17

**TFTH **

**CH 17**

Liv stood and admired her figure in the floor length mirror. She had inherited her small figure from her mother, both a blessing and a curse. She had the perfect hourglass figure and generally she was pretty satisfied with her reflection.

Tonight was a different story.

She wasn't trying to impress anyone tonight; well, her boyfriend, but not more than usual. She just wanted to look nice. As she stood in the mirror and examined her now spreading hips, fuller breasts, and slightly pudgy tummy, she found herself on the brink of tears. It wasn't that she was against being pregnant…she was very happy. She just thought she would have more time with her body before changes began to take place.

Fitz emerged from the bathroom in his own world. He was in a pretty good mood; after all, he was having a pretty good day today. He strolled into the room where Liv was and it took him all of 2.5 seconds to realize that she was on the verge of a meltdown.

_Think Fitz, think! _

"Livvie, baby, I was really hoping you would wear that floor length Maxi dress in the closet. You know, the pretty yellow one?" Fitz asked hopefully. He eyed what she was wearing now; a more form fitting black knee length dress that hugged her body perfectly-maybe TOO perfectly.

Liv found his gaze in the mirror and spoke before she thought.

"What? What's wrong with this dress?" she had instantly turned the barrel of that gun on him and he wanted to avoid that bullet.

"Hunh? Oh, nothing. I just really like the yellow one." He smiled as she walked up behind her, cupping her stomach. She pushed out of his grasp and disappeared into the closet, reemerging about 3 minutes later in the dress he suggested. She stepped back in front of the mirror, turning slightly to the sides to check herself out at all angles.

"See? I love how it compliments your boobs, slims down slightly at your waist, then, flows across those hips and thighs I love so much…" Fitz was cooing in her ear as he once again wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck sensually.

Liv breathed a sigh of relief. Fitz truly knew how to make her smile. She turned her head to meet his, kissing him slowly but passionately.

_Checkmate_, Fitz thought.

After finishing her hair in a light fish-braid pinned to her head, adding a few golden bangles to her wrist, and a spirtz of her favorite perfume, Liv was deemed ready. She left the cooking to Fitz, who, after dressing in grey slacks and a nice blue shirt that brought out his eyes, finished the food. Baked Ziti, Caesar Salad, and sweet tea was on the menu tonight, followed by Liv's newest obsession, strawberry topped cheesecake with chocolate drizzle.

When Liv entered the kitchen, Fitz was still hard at work setting the table and getting all the food ready to be set on the table. Liv stood off silently, admiring her man. Not only had he cleaned the entire house (which he had been doing since they found out she was pregnant), but he had cooked and cleaned all the dishes used to cook as well. At that moment, Liv wanted to show him how thankful she was for him.

Glancing at the clock in the foyer, she realized they had about twenty minutes before everyone was set to arrive. She made her way to the IPod radio deck, connecting her phone to it, and selected the song that had popped into her head a few moments prior.

As the sweet sounds of Boys II men filled the air, Fitz stopped and peeked around the corner, finding Liv now leaning against the table holding the media player speakers. He smirked at her as she beckoned him toward her with her index finger, flashing the infinity promise ring he had put there only a few months ago.

This had become their song, having heard it once before and caused a COMPLETE AND UTTER scene in the grocery store as they swayed to the music from beginning to end.

I was lonely  
I needed someone to see me through  
I was at the end of my rope  
I needed someone to cut me loose (someone)  
Then an angel out of the blue  
Gave me the sense that I  
Might make it through  
And somehow I survived  
With no rhyme or reason  
And now I know I'll make it  
Through the miracle of you

I know the color of love  
And it lives inside of you  
I know the color of truth  
It's in the image of you  
If it comes from the heart  
Then you know that it's true  
It will color your soul  
Like a rainbow (Like a rainbow)  
And the color of love is in you  
Colors and colors and...

Like a bridge  
Over troubled, troubled waters  
You stood beside me (stood beside me)  
And your love did not falter (your love did not falter)  
And then the angel, the angel in you  
Gave the strength to know (gave me the strength)  
That I will get through  
And that's how I survived  
'Aint no other reason  
And now I know I'll make it  
Through the miracle of you

I know the color of love  
And it lives inside of you  
I know the color of truth  
It's in the image you  
If it comes from the heart  
Then you know that it's true  
It will color your soul  
Like a rainbow (Like a rainbow)  
And the color of love is in you  
Colors and colors and...

O...  
So girl I wanna thank you  
I can't thank you enough  
For showing me the meaning  
The meaning of true love  
When I was lost and so in need  
You opened you heart (opened up your heart)  
I needed you to comfort me  
You opened you arms (opened up your arms)  
I couldn't face another day  
You said don't be afraid  
You showed my heart the  
Showed me the way...

I know the color of love  
And it lives inside of you  
I know the color of truth  
It's in the image of you  
If it comes from the heart  
Then you know that it's true  
It will color your soul  
Like a rainbow (Like a rainbow)  
And the color of love is in you  
Colors and colors and...

Kisses and hugs and a little making out accompanied the dancing through the living room. The danced both the normal way and with Liv in front of Fitz, his hands cupping her body and belly romantically.

By the time the song was over, both lovers were starry eyed. Love was overflowing from each of them and they both knew, no matter what the outcome of tonight's dinner was and no matter what they faced as a couple..

Their love was indestructible.

/

Rose and Nathan Grant were the first ones to arrive at Fitz's home. Maya and Elijah Pope were next to make their presence known, then Natalie and Fiona, which caused a few funny stares. After all introductions were made, Fitz and Liv got all the food on the table and ready to be served. Maya and Rose bonded over their common interests, and Nathan tried unsuccessfully to woo Fiona, all while Natalie pretty much kept to herself the entire time.

Once everyone was seated and grace was said, platters were passed around and plates were filled while the sound of laughter and conversation grew louder and more prominent. Liv sat next to Fitz and patted his knew after she made eye contact with Natalie.

"So, how's the food, everyone?" Liv asked.

Elijah was the only one who didn't have food in his mouth at that point in time.

"It's delicious, baby girl. Did you try something new?"

"Actually, I can't take credit for this…Fitz actually did this ALL on his own."

Everyone looked at Fitz, praising him on a job well done.

"Well, everything tastes delicious. This house actually looks like a home now that you are living here, Olivia, and I can honestly say I haven't seen my son or you glow like this for as long as I've known you. Well done." Rose stated.

Liv put her fork down and looked at Fitz. Fitz smiled, placing his arm around her shoulders and decided now was the time.

"Well, I don't know about myself glowing, but it's pretty common for pregnant women to glow." Fitz said nonchalantly.

Rose was frozen in mid bite. Maya had the fork half way to her mouth, and Elijah was in mid-sip of his drink which was evident from him now coughing spell.

Nathan looked around the room at all the stunned faces, noticing how Fiona and Natalie didn't seem surprised at all.

"Oh, seriously?" Maya squealed. She was still patting her husband's back, but was only a few seconds from abandoning him and embracing her daughter.

"Olivia, are you…?" Rose asked quietly.

Liv smiled, looking over at Fitz, and nodded her head as he placed a kiss on her temple.

The room blew up in applause. Everyone was ecstatic. Liv was positively glowing and she honestly felt like she had a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. In the midst of everyone's chatter about baby names and gender preferences, she noticed Natalie's demeanor change to more of a depressed state. She finally was able to make eye contact with Natalie, and Natalie silently shook her head, saying that now was not the time to reveal what was happening.

Fitz caught the look between the women and then Liv's glance alone. She discreetly shook her head, and Fitz decided to leave it alone.

After dinner, everyone was still seated at the table as Liv went to get the desert from the kitchen. Fitz came in after her, smiling and whispering in her ear as they walked back. Nathan must have finally warmed up since his next statement was something Fitz wasn't in the least bit shocked to hear him say.

"Geez, Fitz, I would say something, but clearly you've already done your best…I guess you can't do anything else to her since she's carrying your kid."

Rose glanced over at Nathan who had a smirk grin on his face. Maya and Eli both grew quiet and serious, but Liv, knowing Nathan's sense of humor, threw a joke right back at him.

"Well, at least he is still in practice. Where's your woman, Nate?" Liv quipped.

Everyone in the room, including Nathan, laughed. Hard.

As Liv sat the cake on the table, Rose caught her off guard by placing her hand on Liv's stomach.

"My goodness, how far along are you?" Rose questioned.

Liv suddenly grew self-conscious about her appearance again. Rose picked up on this immediately.

"Oh no, sweetie, you are still beautiful, but I know you all didn't wait until she was five months before you said something."

Fitz saw Liv struggling to answer so he stepped in, "Actually, she's about 12 weeks."

Maya's attention was now all on her baby girl.

"Livvie, come here, sweetie."

Reluctantly, Liv made her way to her mother and as usual, Maya embarrassed her by pulling the slack of her dress back and making her slight pudge more prominent.

"Have you all been to the doctor recently?" Maya questioned.

Liv and Fitz locked eyes and Liv answered, "We have an appointment next week."

"How many are you expecting?"

Liv looked at Maya like she had 7 heads.

"Liv, Maya is right. If I didn't know any better, the way your hips have spread and your chest is fuller, I would say you might have more than one in there."

/

After dinner was complete and the dishes were handled, which Rose and Maya took care of as they continued to cackle about their upcoming grandkids. Fitz and Nate were currently in the entertainment room talking sports with Fiona accompanying them holding her own weight. Liv was looking for Natalie and couldn't find her anywhere.

Deciding to check outside, she opened the door to find Natalie in a plume of smoke on their front porch.

"Don't tell Fitz. He would have a cow. I'm takin the butts with me….don't worry." Natalie confessed.

Liv decided to take a seat on the steps beside Natalie.

"Your secret is safe with me." Liv said as she kept her gaze ahead and her hands clasp in front of her.

"What're you doing out here anyway? You should be inside fussing over your soon to be new addition." Natalie seethed.

It wasn't that she was mad…she just didn't really feel like celebrating with her own news weighing so heavily on her. After a long talk with Fiona and her own personal "come to Jesus" moment, Natalie decided that MAYBE it wouldn't be so bad to have Liv around. After all, she had seriously shown her nothing but love since she met her.

"I just wanted to check on you. I thought you were going to use the time today to come clean about…"

"I was…I just didn't want to steal you guys' shine in there. I doubt I would have gotten the round of applause that yall did anyways." Natalie stated the last part barely above a whisper.

Liv sincerely felt bad. She didn't want Natalie keeping her end of the bargain to be in vain.

"You know, Nat, no one can make you feel inferior unless you let them. I could very well have taken the fact that you wouldn't touch me without wiping your hands or the fact that you think I'm a direct descendent of hell personally but I didn't…you know why?" Liv asked in an even voice.

Natalie looked at Liv and shook her head.

"Because I know those things aren't true. They aren't the real deal. I'm not a nasty person, so you not wanting to touch me was all in your head. I am NOT from hell…although I will agree with you that I am dark skinned and I HATE the sun…" Liv tried to make Natalie smile a little.

It worked. Natalie cracked a slight smile.

"It didn't bother me that much then and it doesn't bother me as much now….it DID bother me to a certain degree, but I had to let it slide off me like water because if I spent all my life living the way OTHER people wanted me to, I wouldn't get very far or worse, I wouldn't be happy." Liv told her.

Natalie smiled at Liv and for the first time, it was a real smile.

"Thanks, Olivia. I really appreciate it."

Liv gently bumped Natalie's shoulder. "No problem. Now… do you wanna go in there and share your news?"

Natalie stood up and flicked the lit part of her cigarette into the moist grass. She deposited the butt in her back pocket and offered her free and unsmok-smelling hand to Liv to stand up.

"No."

"No?" Liv questioned.

"Not today. Today is about you and my brother and your happiness. I'm not perfect, Liv. I know that and I'm working on it. I know you don't deserve to be hated and I really don't hate you, but just be patient with me…undoing the lessons instilled in me will take time but I promise to work on them….at least for my little niece or nephew's sake.

"But tonight….tonight is about you and Fitz. I will handle my issues on my own time so let's go back inside and enjoy the rest of the evening."

When Liv and Nat came back inside, Fitz was coming out of the entertainment room to find her. When he saw her walk back inside with Natalie close by, his heart sank. Once he saw that they were actually laughing and talking, his heart then began to sing. He now knew that the time was right.

"Liv?" Fitz asked as he approached her.

"Yeah? Fitz, you ok? You look kinda pale."

Fitz laughed nervously, gaining everyone's attention since they were now all in the living room.

"I'm fine. I love you."

Liv smirked at him, giving him kiss on the cheek. "I love you too."

"No…I mean I love you. I'm IN love with you. I can't imagine being with anyone else for the rest of my life. I have been meaning to do this for a good minute now and I honestly wanted to wait for the right time but then we learned about the pregnancy and then the storms and…"

Rose cleared her throat signaling Fitz to land his plane. Fitz glanced at his mother, around the room, and then at Liv and all their faces matched.

CONFUSED…

"What I mean to say is…." Fitz reached into his pocket and dropped to one knee all in one move. Liv immediately covered her mouth, her heart now skipping every other beat.

"Olivia Carolyn, you have made me the happiest man in the world. Now, let me make you the happiest woman. You stole my heart, and now you are gonna steal my last name, sweet baby. Will you marry me?" Fitz finished as he opened the velvety box containing the ring Rose had given him.

Maya stood nearby with tears raining from her eyes. Elijah had his arms around his wife as they witnessed the power of love right before them. Rose stood off to the side with her son's arm linked in hers. Natalie had forgotten how she was supposed to hiding her relationship with Fiona and their hands had joined as well.

Liv could barely make out Fitz's face anymore. Her vision was completely blurred by tears as she shook her head up and down rapidly, unable to speak.

"Yes!" She yelled in loud whisper.

/

After everyone was gone and the house was locked up, Liv made her way upstairs. Fitz had already gone ahead of her, wanting to get a bath started for her and everything she needed ready for bed. Liv yawned as she rounded the corner into her bedroom with her eyes on her now glistening left ring finger.

"Future Mrs. Grant?" Fitz teased from the bathroom.

"Yes?" Liv smiled.

Fitz came around the corner in only his black boxer briefs and Liv felt a familiar magnetic pull taking over.

"I love you so much…will you let me show you?" he questioned.

Liv smiled, slipping the Maxi dress down her body revealing her underwear to Fitz.

"Lead the way, future husband of mine."

**AN: SO, it's been a while since I updated this chapter. Inspiration today was brought to you by snippets of Liv and Fitz on Youtube…Anyway, I think things are kinda coming together for our happy couple to be. Any thoughts? Suggestions? Leave them for me…be nice though!  
**

**Happy Reading!**

**XOXO**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: I already know….don't even tell me….**

***WARNING* this chapter will have a little violence (if you can call it that) and some drama. I promise to fix most of it by next chapter though….**

**If this isn't your thing, wait for the next chapter. I kinda feel like maybe I missed something or maybe I should hold this chapter….that being said, I hope you enjoy!**

**Happy Reading!**

**XOXO**

**TFTH**

**CH 18**

Beep, Beep, Beep….

Boom…Boom….BOOOM….

The constant sound of the heart monitor attached to his wife along with the baby monitor wrapped around her ever growing belly is the only thing that kept him sane. Fitz sat beside his wife's hospital bed in a daze.

_Dear God, I know I don't come to you as often as I should, but please…PLEASE fix this. I can't…I can't live without her…_

_Or THEM. _

Fitz kept his head bowed as he prayed, holding his future wife's hand and kissing her delicate fingers as he lovingly gazed in her eyes. He wasn't to blame for their current predicament. Hell, the bastard who was to blame was lying in the morgue 2 floors below them.

Fitz was brought out of his own thoughts when the hospital door opened. Elijah walked through the door, glancing at his baby girl in the bed and her fiancé by her side. He had only received the phone call from his frantic soon to be son in law only an hour ago and he had made it to the hospital in record time.

"Fitz?" Elijah said softly as he walked up to him.

Fitz slowly tore his gaze from Liv up to Elijah. Elijah nodded his head slowly, patting Fitz on the back with a firm but gentle hand, and the flood gates opened. Fitz cried…hard. He cried for the past, present, and what he was sure to be the future.

"It's ok son. Let it out." Elijah tried to console Fitz as Fitz sat holding Liv's frail IV inserted hand.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, Fitz finally began to calm down. Elijah pulled a chair up to his only daughter's bedside and grabbed her other hand. He didn't have the guts to glance down at her body. He knew it was his daughter, but she just didn't quite LOOK like herself.

"I….I don't know what to…I….I can't lose her. NOT LIKE THIS!" Fitz said forcefully.

Elijah pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand.

"Fitz, tell me what happened. Start from the beginning, son."

_**Flashback**_

_**It was finally getting cold outside. **_

_**FINALLY. **_

_**That's what Olivia thought as she eyed her favorite black boots in the closet. She had been wanting to wear them for quite some time now. D.C. had really spoiled her when it came to winters and she was more than ready to strut in her 4 ½ inch boots for as long as she could. **_

_**It was the day of their ultrasound. Liv had grown significantly, and everyone who saw her made it their business to tell her what they thought she was carrying. **_

_**Twins? Triplets? MORE? **_

_**Liv shook the crazy thoughts out of her head as she finally made her choice on what to wear. She slipped on her new maternity blue jeans (which she, up until now, had been reluctant to wear), an off white cashmere sweater that fell off her shoulders, and her boots. She made sure her make-up was light, and spritzed on a little perfume. A fishtail braid hung from her head around her neck and rested above her breast. **_

_**She made her way to the living room where to grab her things. Fitz was supposed to be meeting her at the doctor's office. She smiled at the thought of seeing her him. Simple things were her safe haven lately and with the opening of her new office on the brink of the horizon, she definitely needed he distraction. **_

_**Getting in the car, Liv decided to stop off and grab a bagel from Panera Bread for breakfast. She was flowing through traffic when her phone rang. **_

"_**Hi." **_

"_**Hi, Livvie. You left yet?" Fitz sounded a bit winded. **_

"_**I have. Actually, I'm getting breakfast. What're you doing?" Liv asked. **_

_**Fitz was silent. He hated lying to Liv, but if she knew what he was up to now, she would surely skin his ass. **_

"_**Uh…nothing. Just wondering where you are." **_

_**Liv slowed her pace back to the car as she listened to his tone. **_

"_**What are you hiding?" She accused. **_

_**SHITFUCK, Fitz thought. **_

"_**Not..nothing, baby. Why would you think that?" **_

"_**You sound funny. You keep taking labored breaths, and you keep avoiding the question. Is something wrong, Fitz?" Liv was starting to get annoyed. She loved Fitz more than she could ever put into words, but her patience had started to wear thin lately. **_

"_**Nothing is wrong. We're fine." **_

"_**We?" Liv caught on. **_

"_**I, uh…I gotta go. Listen, I might be a little bit-" **_

"_**NO! if you say you are going to be late to this appointment, I will never forgive you. We have already had to reschedule this three times! What could possibly be keeping you away from this?" Liv was furious. **_

"_**I'm not going to miss it. Calm down. I will be there….I promise." Fitz soothed her. **_

_**Liv sat in the office, legs crossed at the knees. She kept looking at the wall, watching the clock tick by. Fitz was due 2 minutes ago and she could feel the sting of tears burn the backs of her eyes as she watched the seconds tick by. The air in the room shifted as he entered swiftly, moving steadily and looking as if he had been running. **_

"_**Livvie! I'm sorry, baby. I had a hard time finding parking." Fitz said as he sat down next to her. He grabbed her hand and pecked her on the lips. **_

"_**It's fine. I'm just glad you are here." She said. **_

_**Fitz sat there holding her hand until the nurse called her back. He escorted her to the back of the office where Liv had to have her weight taken. She handed Fitz her purse and stepped on the scale and when she got down, she noticed him looking at a poster on the wall and rubbing his neck. **_

"_**Hey," she called him back to reality.  
Fitz jumped as she caught his attention. **_

"_**Yeah, you ok?" Fitz asked her. **_

_**Liv knew better to think Fitz was totally alright. He had been acting strangely ever since he got there. It didn't help that she was already nervous, and when they were finally alone in a room waiting on the doctor to come in, she decided to go for the jugular. **_

"_**I'm not going to ask you again what is wrong." She stated firmly. **_

_**Fitz jerked his head around at her tone. "Good, because I already told you NOTHING was the matter." **_

_**Liv was getting ready to say something back when a knock on the door interrupted her. **_

"_**Ms. Pope. How are you feeling today?" Dr. Jameson started. **_

"_**I'm good. Kind of weak, but I'm alright." **_

_**Fitz began to wonder when she had started to feel weak. He wanted to ask her about it, but decided to save that info for when they left. He knew this pregnancy had her on edge and her fuse was way shorter than it usually was. **_

_**After the initial examination, the doctor led the couple to the ultrasound tech. The tech was a pretty blonde that was very soft spoken. She made small talk with both Fitz and Liv during her prep. She placed warming jelly on Liv's protruding belly and when she ran the ultrasound wand over the area, the screen before them lit up in soft blacks and greys. **_

"_**There's your baby." She said. **_

_**All tension between the couple was now forgotten as they held each other's hands. Both were in awe of the life on the screen before them. **_

"_**So, there's a hand…and a foot. There's the baby's face. I see a finger here, and everything looks to be in order. Would you like to know the sex of your child?" the tech asked smoothly. **_

_**Liv looked at Fitz and they both nodded in silence at the tech. **_

"_**Well, looks to me like….wait, it keeps flipping. WOW, hey slow down there, little one." The tech cooed Liv's belly. **_

_**Liv and Fitz locked eyes and shared a small awkward smirk as to say 'really?' **_

"_**Ah, ok ,here we are….well, looks like….UM….WOW." the tech said. **_

_**Liv could feel her heart begin to speed up as she gripped Fitz's hand tighter. Fitz kissed her knuckles, counting to ten in his head and praying to God nothing was wrong. After a few clicks on the ultrasound machine and a few Hmmms and AHHHs, the tech was still silent. It felt like hours had passed. **_

"_**Is there something wrong, miss?" Fitz couldn't contain his anxiety any longer. **_

"_**Well, unless you are having an octopus, I'd say you have a set of matching twin girls in there." The tech said smiling. **_

_**/**_

_**After the appointment was over, Liv and Fitz were over the moon. They laughed and joked as they exited the office about how their parents had been right. Two babies….**_

"_**Where are they hiding, Livvie?" Fitz smiled down at her. **_

"_**I honestly don't know." Liv was still on cloud nine. **_

_**As the couple walked back towards the parking garage, they decided to take the scenic route as Liv had grown hungry. They passed by a little high end Baby Boutique and stopped to gawk at the cute baby items. **_

"_**Oh my gosh, Fitz, LOOK!" Liv was ecstatic at the dark oak colored baby furniture in display. **_

_**Fitz bent down to get a better look at it and that's when Liv spotted it. **_

"_**Fitz?" Liv's excitement immediately left her body and was replaced with anger. **_

"_**Liv?" Fitz asked absent mindedly still examining the furniture through the window."  
"FITZGERALD!" Liv shouted. She was so loud, she got the attention of a few people in passing. **_

_**Fitz was brought out of his thoughts as he jerked his head around to look at her. He saw her eyes shoot to his neck and he involuntarily rubbed the area she was looking at. **_

"_**Livvie, wait a minute." Fitz started. **_

_**Liv kept her voice dangerously low as she spoke. " I KNOW that is not what the hell I think it is?" she questioned. **_

_**Fitz tried to grab her shoulders to get her to listen to him. **_

"_**Livvie, calm down baby. I love you. You know I would never-"  
Liv backed away from him, not wanting him to touch her. She retreated into her own mind as she stared at what appeared to be a nice size hickey on his neck. **_

"_**I was up on the roof, getting some-" **_

"_**Ah, two for two today hunh?" Liv shouted louder than she wanted to. Fitz had sprained his wrist on the roof a few weeks before and promised he wouldn't go back up there. **_

"_**Liv, baby, I got stung by-" **_

"_**Oh, is that what they are calling it these days?" Liv asked. She stalked away angrily as Fitz tried to catch up to her. **_

"_**Livvie, slow down." He called after her. **_

"_**Don't. Don't 'Livvie' me. NOT now. NOT EVER." Liv yelled back at him. **_

_**Fitz began to feel himself grown angry. This was a stupid argument and she wouldn't even let him get a word in. **_

"_**Fine. I'm trying to explain to you what you what his is but you are hell bent on seeing shit your way so you know what? We can just talk about this when we get home...until then, let's just go our separate ways until you decide to have a civilized conversation with me." Fitz hissed at her. **_

_**She stood stock still in the middle of the sidewalk. Never had he spoken to her and she knew deep down inside she wasn't being reasonable, but those hormones were NOT her friends. **_

"_**Fitz? FITZ!? You are just going to walk away from me?" her anger slowly began to fade into hurt as he left her standing alone on the walkway. She felt tears streaming down her face as she realized how dumb this entire fight was and anger was still rearing its ugly head at the fact that he left his pregnant fiancé in the middle of the street to get a breather from their disagreement. **_

_**Fitz had made it across the road and almost to the parking deck when he heard it. Loud sirens getting closer follow by a loud sound and muffled gasps. **_

_**CLUNK. **_

_**Something snapped, almost sounding like a bone. It and the ear piercing screams made shivers run down his spine and he turned on the ball of his feet to find the worst image he had ever seen. **_

_**He saw her hand first. It was palm up, and her arm was extended straight out in front of her. She was lying on the ground on her back, her head was lying in a pool of blood. Her leg was bent in what appeared to be a position you could only achieve when broken, and she was gasping for air.**_

"_**LIVVIE!" Fitz shouted with all his might as he ran through traffic to save the love of his life. **_

_**Liv was breathing funny, as if she had a collapsed lung. By the time Fitz got back to her, her eyes were rolling in the back of her head and she was slowly starting to breathe less and less. **_

"_**OLIVIA!" Fitz roared again. **_

_**Fitz flew to the ground, grabbing her upper body carefully and cradling her in his arms. **_

"_**SOMEONE CALL 911! NOW!" **_

PRESENT

"And that's when I called you. They took her back and said she had a broken angle. The loud sound was her head hitting the concrete. The damn car the police was chasing fishtailed and the back end knocked her several yards into the street, and thankfully someone's shoe took the brunt force of her head. She has a serious concussion and she twisted her spleen. Her lung did collapse, but they were able to repair most of the damage." Fitz finished as tears steadily fell from his eyes.

"Why isn't she awake? And what the hell was on your neck anyways?" Elijah tried to remain calm but he was getting angry just thinking about his baby being hurt.

"The doctor said she would wake up soon. I hope to God because I cant imagine-" Fitz stopped his sentence unable to complete it.

"I was on the roof checking on a leak. Back when the storm came through, we did get some shingles replaced, but I noticed water spots in the store. I lifted the wrong shingle and a group of wasps attacked me. They got my neck pretty good, and since I'm allergic, they shortened my breath a bit but I'm ok." Fitz confessed.

"Why didn't you just tell her that?" Elijah asked.

Fitz looked him straight in the eyes and said, "What? You're saying she would have listened? Even if she had believed me, she would have went upside my head for going back on that roof." Fitz stated as she glanced down at his wrist, now housed in a wrist brace.

Elijah thought quietly for a moment. He looked at his daughter's hand and could swear she had just flexed her fingers but he remained quiet about it.

"No. But at least you could have tried."  
Fitz took a deep breath. "I have NEVER lied to my fiancé. I love Livvie with my entire being and I wish to God I hadn't raised my voice or left her alone. She's my future wife. I love her with all my heart and soul. I will regret my actions every minute of every day, but I swear to God, if he could just fix this…I will spend the rest of my life making this up to her." Fitz sobbed out as he talked. After a moment of silence, the best sound he could have possibly heard came flowing through his ears.

"I'm going to hold you to that, future husband." Liv stated in a weak voice.

Fitz slowly raised his head, thinking he was hallucinating. He looked at his fiancé and what he saw made his tear stream increase.

"Oh, sweet baby" Fitz whispered as watched Elijah kiss her forehead.

"Livvie is a soldier. I was going to remind you of how strong she is, but I guess she decided to show you herself." Elijah and his daughter smiled at each other knowingly.

Fitz stayed relatively quiet for the rest of the visit. Liv learned what had happened, as she couldn't remember much, and also learned that her mother didn't know about the accident yet.

"Man, Mom's going to go MAYHEM on you." Liv joked with her father.

She watched as Elijah shook his head. She laughed at his face and eventually he joined her in laughter. The doctor came in along with her OB and assured her that her babies and herself were fine and VERY lucky.

After the doctors left, she glanced over at Fitz to find him staring at her belly with a stone face. She made eye contact with her father, silently asking him to leave the room for a little while and give her some time alone with her man.

Once Elijah was out of the room, Liv cocked placed her free hand on her belly, rubbing circles, and lifted the hand Fitz had a grip on to lift his chin so he could see her eyes. No words were spoken. Fitz climbed into the bed with her, careful not to pull at any wires or IV tubes.

Once he was settled, Liv turned as much as she could with a broken ankle to face him. They stared at each other and had a complete mental conversation.

_Fitz…come on, baby. Stop it. _

_I can't. I can't believe I left you alone like that. It should be ME in this bed. Not you. _

_Everything happens for a reason, Fitz. Please stop. Don't do this to yourself. _

_Liv, what am i….what was I supposed to do if something had happened to you? _

"You don't have to worry about that now. We are alright. I'm alright….I will be at least. It's ok, Fitz." Liv tried to console him.

Fitz looked into her brown orbs as she placed her hand on his cheek and coerced him to look her in the eyes. It was his undoing and he broke down into sobs; a full cry like the day he was born.

Liv kissed him over and over again, willing her own tears not to fall. She knew the weight of the situation and what could have happened, but she was trying not to freak her own self out with 'what if scenarios'.

After what seemed like hours, Fitz finally calmed down and took a long hard look at Olivia. He kissed the scratches on her face. He also ran his fingers through her hair, careful to avoid the gash in back of the head that had needed stitches a little bit ago.

"Livvie," Fitz started.

"I already know. I heard you and my father while I was asleep. I know the truth." She answered.

Fitz breathed a sigh of relief as he told her, "I love you."

"I love you too…but you are still in trouble for being on the roof." Liv tried to make him smile.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Livvie. I love ALL THREE OF YOU more than you know." Fitz smiled as he kissed her cheek.

**AN: I know it's been quite some time since I updated and I am truly sorry guys. I am trying to vow to do a little better and if you are following this story still, YAY! I love you guys and your reviews and constructive criticism is always welcome. **

**This chapter was kinda heavy, but consider this as a bridge back into the writing groove for me. I hope you guys liked it. **

**Leave a review! **

**Happy reading! **

**XOXO**


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Hey yall! Sorry for the delay….life has thrown me so many curveballs, I could probably play baseball these days. Still trying to get back into the groove of writing, so this chapter will be lighter….playful even. **

**Happy Reading! **

**XOXO**

_**Previously on TFTH….**_

_**Fitz took a deep breath. "I have NEVER lied to my fiancé. I love Livvie with my entire being and I wish to God I hadn't raised my voice or left her alone. She's my future wife. I love her with all my heart and soul. I will regret my actions every minute of every day, but I swear to God, if he could just fix this…I will spend the rest of my life making this up to her." Fitz sobbed out as he talked. After a moment of silence, the best sound he could have possibly heard came flowing through his ears. **_

"_**I'm going to hold you to that, future husband." Liv stated in a weak voice. **_

_**Fitz slowly raised his head, thinking he was hallucinating. He looked at his fiancé and what he saw made his tear stream increase. **_

"_**Oh, sweet baby" Fitz whispered as watched Elijah kiss her forehead. **_

"_**Livvie is a soldier. I was going to remind you of how strong she is, but I guess she decided to show you herself." Elijah and his daughter smiled at each other knowingly. **_

_**Fitz stayed relatively quiet for the rest of the visit. Liv learned what had happened, as she couldn't remember much, and also learned that her mother didn't know about the accident yet. **_

"_**Man, Mom's going to go MAYHEM on you." Liv joked with her father. **_

_**She watched as Elijah shook his head. She laughed at his face and eventually he joined her in laughter. The doctor came in along with her OB and assured her that her babies and herself were fine and VERY lucky. **_

_**After the doctors left, she glanced over at Fitz to find him staring at her belly with a stone face. She made eye contact with her father, silently asking him to leave the room for a little while and give her some time alone with her man. **_

_**Once Elijah was out of the room, Liv cocked placed her free hand on her belly, rubbing circles, and lifted the hand Fitz had a grip on to lift his chin so he could see her eyes. No words were spoken. Fitz climbed into the bed with her, careful not to pull at any wires or IV tubes. **_

_**Once he was settled, Liv turned as much as she could with a broken ankle to face him. They stared at each other and had a complete mental conversation. **_

_**Fitz…come on, baby. Stop it. **_

_**I can't. I can't believe I left you alone like that. It should be ME in this bed. Not you. **_

_**Everything happens for a reason, Fitz. Please stop. Don't do this to yourself. **_

_**Liv, what am i….what was I supposed to do if something had happened to you? **_

"_**You don't have to worry about that now. We are alright. I'm alright….I will be at least. It's ok, Fitz." Liv tried to console him. **_

_**Fitz looked into her brown orbs as she placed her hand on his cheek and coerced him to look her in the eyes. It was his undoing and he broke down into sobs; a full cry like the day he was born. **_

_**Liv kissed him over and over again, willing her own tears not to fall. She knew the weight of the situation and what could have happened, but she was trying not to freak her own self out with 'what if scenarios'.**_

_**After what seemed like hours, Fitz finally calmed down and took a long hard look at Olivia. He kissed the scratches on her face. He also ran his fingers through her hair, careful to avoid the gash in back of the head that had needed stitches a little bit ago. **_

"_**Livvie," Fitz started. **_

"_**I already know. I heard you and my father while I was asleep. I know the truth." She answered. **_

_**Fitz breathed a sigh of relief as he told her, "I love you." **_

"_**I love you too…but you are still in trouble for being on the roof." Liv tried to make him smile. **_

"_**I wouldn't have it any other way, Livvie. I love ALL THREE OF YOU more than you know." Fitz smiled as he kissed her cheek. **_

TFTH

CH 19

Fitz definitely kept his promise to Liv and the girls…he made sure she didn't lift a finger from the minute she left the hospital until now. Liv was growing irritated at him; he wouldn't allow her to go to the bathroom alone, shower alone, sleep alone, or move to get food.

_One little slip in the bathroom and now all of a sudden I'm crippled!? _She argued with him two days after her release. She had gone to the bathroom alone to pee and BREATHE and her tiny foot slipped as she stood from the toilet. Fitz damn near broke the door down trying to get to her and chastised her as he kissed and coddled her back to the bedroom. He was smothering her to infinity degree and she was about to lose her mind….

At the same time, it was the most enduring thing she had ever seen.

It had been three weeks since the accident and Liv, for the most part, had obeyed the rules and NOT done much of anything alone.

Until today.

"Livvie!?" Fitz called as he juggled bags in his arms. He had left Liv on the couch in route to the store to pick up some jalapenos and rocky road ice cream, teasing her that he hoped she wouldn't eat it together.

He dropped the bags in the kitchen and noticed it was quiet. The TV was off, the computer was closed, and the living room was a desert town.

"Livvie!" Fitz yelled again. He tried not to panic-truth be told, he had panicked every day since they released her from the hospital and he inwardly wished they would have kept her there for the next three and a half months.

Fitz tried not to rush through every room, but every time he came up empty in one, his heart did somersaults. He finally made his way back to the kitchen, seeing the keyring from Liv's (Nana's) Lexus. He knew she hadn't left and this made him feel a little better as he took a seat on the stool at the island and tried to level his breathing. (something Liv had also taught him)

As he breathed in and out deeply, it suddenly dawned on him. He stood slowly and walked over to the French doors leading out to the backyard and that's when he spotted her.

She looked like an angel. She was wearing a white maxi dress that showed her baby bump well and was barefoot. She was sitting on the ground, which Fitz did NOT like, but was on a white blanket spread out on the floor. He saw a glass of what appeared to be lemonade by her side and she sat with her feet spread out in front of her crossed at the ankle reading a book.

She was grace personified.

Fitz was inwardly cursing, wanting to throw a hissy fit because she had broken more rules in this outing than he thought he cared to admit. He knew that he was making a big deal out of nothing much, but his conscious from that day still haunted him and he refused to allow anything to happen to her.

Sliding the doors open easily, Fitz made his way out onto the patio. He slipped off his loafers and relished in the feel of the cool grass in between his toes. As he padded over to where his Livvie sat, he was haulted by her voice.

"Before you get upset, I just-"

Fitz cut her off by dropping to his knees behind her and wrapping her up in a bear hug, caressing her belly in the process.

"It's ok. Well, it's not ok, but it is…" he said as he buried his head in her hair. She took deep breath, loving the attention he was paying her and silently patted herself on the back for standing up to him. The silence in the backyard was exactly what she needed, gathering her thoughts for her.

"mmmmmm….I love you." She said as he snaked his head around to meet her lips.

"I love you." Fitz returned. He started to thread his arms behind her body and under her armpit and her knees when she realized what he was doing.

"Fitz! I can walk….don't you DARE!" Liv said, mustering up as much of a scold on her face as she could. Fitz smirked and stood still with her in his arms. She only weighed about 110 before the twins and now was easily still under 130. For Fitz, she was still light as a feather.

"Fitzgerald Thomas Grant, if you don't put me down right this instant…" Liv threatened.

Fitz straightened his face at her threat. He lowered her to the ground and her feet but didn't remove his arm from behind her until she shot him daggers with her eyes. He lifted his hands in defeat and bent to collect her items from the blanket. Once he had everything in one arm, he settled on being able to escort her back inside.

"Did you get it?" Liv asked as they crossed the threshold.

"Of course. You, um…" Fitz studdered as she put the items back in their regular place.

"What?" Liv asked as she peeked in the bags, eyes lighting up like a kid on Christmas.

Fitz continued to studder until he was face to face with her.

"Well, you aren't going to eat them…TOGETHER, are you?" Fitz asked as he scrunched his nose up. Liv couldn't help but laugh, but she held it in as long as she could with a straight face.

"I might…why?" she knew this sounded disgusting to him-hell it sounded disgusting to her too, but the girls seemed to be excited by the idea.

Fitz didn't answer her. He walked over to where she was on her tip toes still peeping into the bags and wrapped his arms around her, effectively burying her baby bump gently between them both and started placing feather like kisses on her bare shoulders. He kissed his way from her collarbone to just below her ear, and switched sides to do the same to the other side. He finally found his destination and Liv felt her knees getting weak. Fitz lightly licked her plump lips, from bottom to top, silently seeking entrance to her mouth. Once she parted her lips, he suckled on her bottom lip and then her top, then evenly kissed her lips, dragging his tongue across hers and cupping her head in his palm.

Once the need for oxygen was a necessity he parted from her, hearing her pant quietly as he continued to shower her face with butterfly kisses.

"Wha…wha….what was that for?" Liv asked as she cleared her throat.

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to show you what you will be missing until that awful taste of chocolate peppers leaves your mouth." Fitz smirked as he began to rock her in his embrace, Liv's head now finding home in his chest. She started to hum as they swayed and neither knew how long they stayed in that position.

Liv moved her head and pecked his lips again.

"Nice try, but that's what mouthwash is for." She sassed as she pulled away from him.

Liv moved to grab her creamy pepper concoction and Fitz thought he was going to throw up in his mouth as she layered sliced jalapenos on her ice cream, then doused it with a little pepper juice. She popped a pepper into her mouth and the look on her face made his heart flutter.

Suddenly, he didn't mind the rancid flavor that would soon follow.

/

"Fitz?" Liv whispered.

Silence.

"Fitz?" she whispered louder this time. He was fully aware of why she was now poking him in his side and he wasn't planning on giving in.

"Mmmmmm, Livvie? What's wrong, baby?" He asked in his sleep filled voice.

Liv moved to sit up in bed, placing her back against the headboard.

"Um….I have heartburn." Liv whined in a low child-like voice.

Fitz smirked as she turned to cut the lamp on, but by the time he faced her, his smirk was fully gone. He KNEW this would happen.

"Livvie…" Fitz started. Liv cut him off by placing her well manicured finger in the air.

"Fitz, please don't do it….can you just…OOOOUUUCHHH!" She whined louder as she rubbed her chest.

Fitz felt his resolve giving at the sight of her in pain and he swung his pajama clad legs over to the floor, moving into the bathroom to find her some antacid. He found Tums, and took them to her as quickly as he could with a glass of water from the bathroom. She chewed the tums with her face scrunched at the taste and downed half the glass of water at once. After she did this, she placed the items on the nightstand and looked him in the eye.

"Fine."

"I'm sorry, what?" Fitz was acting deaf and Liv hated apologizing these days.

"I said fine, you were right. It was gross and I probably shouldn't have eaten them, especially so close to bedtime, but it was SOOO GOOD!" She halfway smiled as she remembered her disgusting treat.

Fitz smirked for the millionth time that day and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"It's ok sweet baby." He cooed her in his baby voice. She playfully jabbed at his ribs as she got comfortable in his embrace.

After a few moments of comfortable silence and a few less flames from her chest and stomach, Liv broke the silence.

"How about Bentley? Bentley Grace…."

Fitz raised an eyebrow. He had truly began to dose off again, but once he realized what they were discussing, suddenly sleep didn't matter anymore.

"I like it…can I pick the other one?" He asked. Liv nodded, and he began to process cute names to for baby "B".

"How about Greenlee?" Fitz asked. Liv was quiet as she pondered and as soon as she was about to give him an answer, he cut her off.

"Nah, how about Breelynn? Breelynn Marie…" Fitz' voice softly faded as they both thought of how the names seemed to fit.

"I like it." Liv stated happily. Bentley and Breelynn...Bree and Bent, NO MORE SPICY ICE CREAM FOR MOMMY!" Liv playfully scolded her belly and in response, the girls began to tap dance where her and Fitz' hands rested. They both shared a laugh.

AN: Should update sooner rather than later, guys. Again, if you still follow this story, thank you so much for your support and kind words. It really means a lot to me…

I still love these two, but after the drama from last chapter, I wanted to smooth things out a bit. What did you guys think?

Happy Reading….

XOXO


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: TWENTY CHAPTERS! I can't believe it! This is my baby story and I just want to say if you still follow this or any of my other ones, THANK YOU! Life has a funny way of happening and so writing, while I still love it, has definitely had to take a back seat lately. **

**FYI, this chapter was loads of fun to write. I will advise that there is some slight adult content included in this, if you can call it that…and I don't mean violence, sex, or anything of that nature. Can you guess what's about to happen? (SMILEY FACE!) **

**There is a bit of a time jump here and I tried to make this chapter a bit longer than usual since I haven't updated in a minute. **

**You're welcome! LOL**

**And now…**

**Happy Reading!**

**XOXO**

TFTH

CH 20

_Previously on TFTH…._

"_Fitz?" Liv whispered. _

_Silence. _

"_Fitz?" she whispered louder this time. He was fully aware of why she was now poking him in his side and he wasn't planning on giving in. _

"_Mmmmmm, Livvie? What's wrong, baby?" He asked in his sleep filled voice. _

_Liv moved to sit up in bed, placing her back against the headboard. _

"_Um….I have heartburn." Liv whined in a low child-like voice. _

_Fitz smirked as she turned to cut the lamp on, but by the time he faced her, his smirk was fully gone. He KNEW this would happen. _

"_Livvie…" Fitz started. Liv cut him off by placing her well manicured finger in the air. _

"_Fitz, please don't do it….can you just…OOOOUUUCHHH!" She whined louder as she rubbed her chest. _

_Fitz felt his resolve giving at the sight of her in pain and he swung his pajama clad legs over to the floor, moving into the bathroom to find her some antacid. He found Tums, and took them to her as quickly as he could with a glass of water from the bathroom. She chewed the tums with her face scrunched at the taste and downed half the glass of water at once. After she did this, she placed the items on the nightstand and looked him in the eye. _

"_Fine." _

"_I'm sorry, what?" Fitz was acting deaf and Liv hated apologizing these days. _

"_I said fine, you were right. It was gross and I probably shouldn't have eaten them, especially so close to bedtime, but it was SOOO GOOD!" She halfway smiled as she remembered her disgusting treat. _

_Fitz smirked for the millionth time that day and placed a kiss on her forehead. _

"_It's ok sweet baby." He cooed her in his baby voice. She playfully jabbed at his ribs as she got comfortable in his embrace. _

_After a few moments of comfortable silence and a few less flames from her chest and stomach, Liv broke the silence. _

"_How about Bentley? Bentley Grace…." _

_Fitz raised an eyebrow. He had truly began to dose off again, but once he realized what they were discussing, suddenly sleep didn't matter anymore. _

"_I like it…can I pick the other one?" He asked. Liv nodded, and he began to process cute names to for baby "B". _

"_How about Greenlee?" Fitz asked. Liv was quiet as she pondered and as soon as she was about to give him an answer, he cut her off. _

"_Nah, how about Breelynn? Breelynn Marie…" Fitz' voice softly faded as they both thought of how the names seemed to fit. _

"_I like it." Liv stated happily. Bentley and Breelynn...Bree and Bent, NO MORE SPICY ICE CREAM FOR MOMMY!" Liv playfully scolded her belly and in response, the girls began to tap dance where her and Fitz' hands rested. They both shared a laugh. _

It was no secret to anyone within one hundred yards that Fitz was madly in love with his wife. She was still by far the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. He was currently thinking that exact thing as she watched her sneaking into the kitchen, peeping to see if he was awake.

Fitz was laying in the den on the couch and had been awake for about ten minutes now. He wanted to move so badly, but he was beyond tired. He found himself laying there staring at a picture of himself and Liv on the fireplace. It was an 8x10 of them together that was taken the night he proposed. Liv was wrapped up in his arms in a funny angle and looking backward at the camera, showing all 32 of her white teeth and Fitz's smile was matching hers, if not brighter.

They looked so happy together.

They still were.

There had been minimal arguments between them since the accident. Things were smooth for the most part. The only time she and Fitz disagreed on anything was when he caught her sneaking into the kitchen to feed her disgusting obsession, which is what she was doing now.

Liv knew Fitz would have a conniption of he saw her. She thought he was asleep, and decided to make her move. Tiptoeing past him on the couch, Liv stopped to admire her handsome future husband. He was still breathing evenly which led her to believe he was asleep. His superman curl was sideways on his forehead and he was snoring lightly. She had half the mind to snuggle up to him, but as soon as the thought crossed her mind, the girls reminded her that she was on a mission by double kicking her in the ribs.

Liv bit her lip to stifle a chuckle as she rubbed her belly and continued her descent into the kitchen. She grabbed the ice cream from the freezer and sat it on the counter, locating a spoon. She turned to get a bowl from the cabinet, then thought twice about it since it would likely make noise. Fitz didn't eat ice cream anymore because the thought of her concoction made him vomit a little in his mouth so she decided against it and grabbed the jalapenos and a fork instead. She was finally a few seconds from wrapping her lips around her treat when he cleared his throat from the doorway.

Liv froze mid-bite as she jumped slightly, looking up into the eyes of Fitz. Fitz was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

_Damn. I wonder how long he's been there…._

As if he heard her, he answered, "Long enough. Really, Livvie?"

Liv smiled her 'cat that ate the canary' smile at him and Fitz tried to hide his smile as he made his way toward her.

"Livvie, we've talked about this. You are one week from your due date and these snacks are not making it easy on the few hours you DO actually get to sleep." Fitz removed the spoon from her grasp, turning his nose up at the dripping ice cream and peppers. He dropped the entire spoon in the garbage as Liv looked on with a pout on her face.

"Fitz! WHHHHYYYYY NOOOTTTT!" She whined at him.

He turned on his heels, placed the top on the Jalapenos, and put them high atop the fridge-and hopefully out of her reach.

"Livvie, tell me I'm wrong." He challenged as she stood with her hands on her hips watching him. She looked radiant-more so than ever and it broke his heart to deny her anything….

It simply broke his sleep as well and he was NOT going to budge.

Liv decided to try a different approach. She added a little extra sway to her step, walking (and holding her now enormous stomach) up to him and placed a lingering chaste kiss to his lips. She continued the kiss, sucking on his bottom lip to add a little extra affect.

"Pretty Please?" She cooed as she batted her eyelashes at him and ran her fingers through his hair.

Fitz took a deep breath.

"Livvie, the girls are going to need TRIFOCALS if you keep this up. Spicy food and babies…." He sighed and decided on another approach. "How about this. IF your due date comes and goes, I will agree to let you have some then." He bargained.

Liv snorted, backed away from him, and went to find another snack. She wanted her damn spicy ice cream so bad, but she lost this battle. She smirked at his face as she proceeded to get the pickles out of the fridge. Fitz stood and watched her, wondering what she was up to.

_That easy? Something's up…._

Liv took a knife and started to cut her pickles in slices in bowl. Fitz stood on guard. He KNEW she was up to something. Liv turned on her heels to go back into the fridge, bowl in hand, and when she turned back around, Fitz conceded that there actually WAS something worse than spicy ice cream.

"LIVVIE!?" Fitz whined.

Liv smiled as she took a bite of her treat, milk now dribbling down her chin.

"You said no spicy ice cream. You said NOTHING about no milk and pickles." She laughed as she waddled away.

Fitz smacked his palm to his face and shook his head.

That night was peaceful. Fitz's body was used to waking up with Livvie on days she was guilty of spicy ice cream. He moved to turn over in bed and Liv repositioned herself on her side, spooned against him. Fitz took a deep breath and got comfortable, looking forward to a night of peace and….

"Livvie?"

Liv groaned a bit and turned her head to face him.

"Livvie, baby, did you pee on yourself?" Fitz was now moving to sit up. He slid the covers down and sure enough, there was a puddle underneath her bottom and moving down his leg.

"Fitz. Go back to-wait, why am I…"Liv froze at the sight of the clear liquid beside his leg. She couldn't see her own private parts, but she used her hand to pat and sure enough she was soaked.

"Fitz…" Her voice was barely above a whisper. Fitz was already jumping up, grabbing towels from the bathroom.

"Livvie, I think it's time. Are you ready to meet our girls?" Fitz breathed out against her mouth. She had a look of shock and embarrassment on her face and he wanted to calm her as best he could.

"Fitz…" She repeated again, this time a bit louder.

Two phone calls and thirty minutes later, Fitz was speeding down the freeway toward UAB Hospital. Liv was still looking like she was in shock, but Fitz did his best to keep her talking.

"Fitz, I'm sorry about-"

"Hush. You are fine. No need to apologize sweet baby. You did NOTHING wrong. Our girls are ready to meet us." Fitz calmed her.

Once they made it to the hospital, everything seemed to go extremely fast. Liv was hooked up to monitors instantly and several exams were done, determining she was indeed 2 centimeters dilated.

"You are doing great, baby. What do you need?" Fitz asked. He didn't want to leave her side for even a second, but if she asked for a star he would do his best to round one up and bring it to her.

"I just…" Liv sighed. She was beyond excited to Bree and Bent, but she inwardly thought she had more time. Everything seemed to be moving with light speed and as soon as she was about to voice her opinion to Fitz, the door was opened without a knock and her parents bolted in.

"Olivia!" Liv's mom declared first.

"Hey ma." Liv said as sweetly as she could. She honestly wanted to scream. Where the hell had they come from?

"Hey baby girl. How are you feeling?" Elijah asked as Liv was having another contraction. Her response was easily blamed on the pain.

"Like I'm about to shit out a beach ball!" She screeched through gritted teeth.

"Excuse me?" Elijah grimaced. Maya quickly stood in his path, locking eyes with him and shaking her head no.

"Seriously, baby, you brought that one on yourself. She's in pain. Don't you dare chastise her."

Elijah shook his head and smirked when his baby girl apologized to him. He moved to kiss on her on the cheek, telling her that even in the face of DEATH, she better remember her manners. Maya cleared her throat as she caught her daughter's glance. She could read Olivia at that exact moment.

"Eli, let's go get some coffee and leave her alone. She has a long way to go and I think she needs to get her head right." Maya offered as she linked her hands with her husbands, affectionately kissing him on the cheek.

Eli nodded, squeezed Liv's hand and Fitz's shoulder, and moved out of the room. Maya glanced back over her shoulder and winked at Fitz and Liv. Liv took a deep breath.

"Fitz, these contractions are coming closer and closer. I don't know if I can take this." She said through silent tears. She had made her mind up a while back that she didn't want any drugs during delivery. She wanted this to be as normal and natural as possible, but right now her pelvis felt like someone was putting it through a blender and her back was lit.

"Livvie, it's ok if you need help baby. The medicine will help ease some of the pain. No one will fault you for that." Fitz cooed as she kissed her cheek.

Liv shook her head and closed her eyes tight as another contraction suddenly took her body hostage. Another set of fresh tears streamed down her face and Fitz could hear her teeth as she was gritting them. He wanted to cry as well watching her in so much pain. Thinking back to the baby books they had read together, he remembered that a woman's first labor could be and usually was the longest. He wanted to ask why this was moving so fast, but the thought quickly flew from his mind when she grabbed his hand and squeezed the living shit out of it.

"CHRIST LIVVIE!" Fitz was in awe. As the contraction eased, so did her grip and Fitz eased his hand away for a moment, wiggling his fingers and wondering where the hell all this strength had some from all of a sudden. Liv smiled sheepishly at him.

"No pain, no gain right?"

Four hours and several visitors later, Liv found herself succumbing to the urge to let the anesthesiologist place pain medicine in her spine. She hated the entire process, crying while Fitz hugged her from the front because she felt defeated. After about ten minutes, Liv calmed down as the pain was reduced to a dull ache and an immense amount of pressure. Fitz thanked God, his lucky stars, and his mother for finally breaking down the wall Liv had up against medication.

Liv had all but fallen asleep. Fitz was pretty much sharing the bed with her and moving only when she needed to be examined. Everyone continued to comment on how quickly her labor was progressing and when the doctor finally came in to see her, it was time.

"Olivia, you are very lucky. You are ten centimeters dilated and had you waited much longer, the medicine wouldn't have been an option. How are you feeling?"

Liv looked like she had gotten her ass beat. Her eyes were drooping a bit and her hair was all but in the right place. She looked as if she was barely registering what anyone was saying to her.

Yet and still, Fitz thought she never looked more beautiful.

"I feel…I feel like…like I need to go use the bathroom. Fitz?" Liv moved to sit up.

"Wait, that's a good sign. You can't go to the bathroom unless you want your girls to meet porcelain." The doctor smirked at her. Olivia's eyes widened at this and she nodded her head, silently sending up a prayer that she didn't poop everywhere.

Fitz, of course, read her mind and moved to whisper in her ear.

"Baby, you don't have anything I haven't seen before, ok? It's ok. It's going to be-"

"FITZ! What if I SHIT on these people? Remember the book? 80% of women actually have bowel movements!" She whispered urgently back at him.

The doctor seemed to not be paying attention to them. Neither did the small amount of staff in the room.

"Livvie, if you do, I promise not to say anything to you. Don't worry. It's all going to be ok. Look at me." Fitz waited until she was staring straight into his eyes and then spoke again. "I love you. I am so proud of you and you are doing wonderful, sweetheart. Quit worrying, ok?" he ended his speech with a sound kiss to her lips and she nodded.

"Ok. Are we ready to start pushing?" the doctor stated proudly. Liv and Fitz both looked at her. Liv's breath hitched as she saw the doctor wearing protective gear on her face and Fitz stifled a laugh, then shook his head and kissed her again to regain her composure.

"FITZ! Oh my gosh…"

"Livvie, it's normal."

"You are doing wonderful, Olivia. Let's go again ok? And….1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10…"

Liv's head fell back on the bed. She had been pushing now for about thirty minutes and it didn't seem like she was getting very far. Fitz was praying nonstop for a safe delivery for both his daughters and his future wife.

"Liv, baby, you are doing great." Fitz cooed in her ear. He kept a straight face as she completely decimated his pride.

"Hunh, I bet I am. You, FITZGERALD THOMAS GRANT are NEVER touching this under-yonder again!" she screamed at him. Fitz nodded his head as his face flushed. He glanced at the staff in the room and realized they were probably used to this by now.

"Olivia, you are doing really well." The nurse to her left stated. She was standing there holding Liv's leg by the foot and another nurse held the other and Fitz coached her from right beside her head.

"Why does it feel like I'm not making any progress!?" Liv exclaimed through tears. Fitz bit his lips, wanting to kiss away the pain for her.

"Well, we are closer than you think. Give me your hand, Olivia." The doctor asked.

Liv looked at her strangely and finally obeyed. The doctor placed her hand between her legs and Liv felt a wet head of hair.

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD, FITZ! I CAN FEEL….ONE OF THEM. I DON'T KNOW, BUT I CAN FEEL IT!" Liv stated loudly. It was like that was the extra push she needed and she felt invigorated. The doctor counted to ten again, and the entire room grew quiet. Liv felt pressure, then was told to stop pushing. Gargle sounds were coming from under the blue cover that hid her private parts, and she wondered what the hell was going on. She looked at Fitz with fear in her eyes and could see the exact same fear mirrored in his.

After what seemed like forever, the doctor told her to push again, this time not as hard and sure enough, at 4:57AM, Breelynn Marie Grant was born into this world. Donning a head full of chocolate brown curls and skin the color of perfectly mixed milk and coffee, Breelynn was perfect. Liv placed both hands over her mouth as her vision clouded with tears. The baby was placed on her stomach where a clean blanket was already in place. As soon as she was lay down, another nurse who seemed to finally jump into action, moved closer and started to clean her up. The doctor handed Fitz the scissors, which he now held in shaking hands, and assisted him in cutting the umbilical cord.

Fitz was in awe. Never in his life had he imagined he would witness such a blessing. Truly, watching Breelynn's birth was now the biggest miracle he had ever witnessed. He moved to kiss Liv's temple, who was now crying huge happy tears and cooing her newborn daughter in a whispered voice in between sobs.

"SHHHHHH, Mommy's here! Daddy's here too! It's ok, sweet girl!"

The nurse moved Breelynn to the warmer/scale and announced she weighed 6lbs, 7OZ and was 20 inches long.

Liv and Fitz shared a kiss, exchanging I love you's until Liv felt pressure yet again. She couldn't believe it. She had almost forgotten about her, but Bentley was NOT having that. She looked at Fitz and could tell by the look on his face that he was so caught up in Breelynn's birth that he too almost forgot about Bentley.

Repeating the process again with another clean blanket, Bentley Grace Grant entered the world at 5:01AM. She too had a head full of chocolate curls, but hers seemed to be a bit thicker. She shared the same skin tone as her sister, but as soon as she was placed on Liv's abdomen, she started to grab at the blanket and Liv's gown absently.

"Wow, this one will be your feisty one!" the doctor exclaimed. Everyone shared a laugh, but Fitz and Liv were, again in love. Bentley was moved to the warmer next to her sister, weighing in at 6lbs, 2 OZ and 21 inches long.

The nurses worked to clean Liv up and get her comfortable. All the while, neither Fitz nor Liv could take their eyes off of the warmers that now held their new miracles or each other. The amount of love in that delivery room could rival even the best.

Fitz was the first to come out of the love bubble, instantly thinking he should share the news with everyone in the waiting room. Rose, Nathan, Maya, Eli, Fiona, and even Natalie were all awaiting the news of the birth.

"Fitz, wait."

He froze and turned around to her.

"Can we…can we just meet them first?" she asked meekly and innocently.

Fitz smiled at her, moving to place another kiss on her cheek, and sure enough it was time to hold them. Liv was given Breelynn in her right arm first, followed by Bentley in her left. Both girls had their eyes closed and Bentley was now suckling on her fist and Breelynn was making baby sounds. Fitz stood back a bit and admired his girls.

"Hi! Oh, my sweet girls, I'm so happy to meet you! Oh, Fitz!" Liv was extremely emotional as tears slid down her face. She didn't have a free hand to wipe them so Fitz did the honors, never taking his eyes off of his two newborn angels.

"Livvie, they are…they are just….Perfect. You know who I see when I look at them?" he asked.

Liv shook her head as she gently kissed each child.

"Baby, thank you. THANK YOU SO MUCH!" Fitz stated as he started to cry as well.

"Do you want to hold your daughter?" Liv offered.

"Which one?" Fitz asked, which prompted a few snickers from the nurses on the other side of the room. Fitz reached for Breelynn since she was the closest to him and as he cradled her little head in his hands, he couldn't help but shed even more tears.

"Who Fitz?" Liv asked out of the blue.

Fitz looked confused, and then it dawned on him. He never finished his statement earlier.

"I see Elizabeth from every angle I look at them, Livvie." He finally confessed as he kissed Breelynn's forehead.

Liv started to sniffle, tears making their way yet again down her beautiful face. She too saw the resemblance, but didn't want to say anything out loud just yet for fear that she would indeed start to cry again.

Eventually, he was given Bentley as well and Liv was once more overcome with joy as she watched him bond with his girls for the first time.

About an hour later, Liv and the girls were moved to a regular room on the Well Baby floor. The room was quiet as Liv and Fitz shared her bed, each holding a baby. There was a knock on the door and sure enough, it was a nurse asking if they were ready for family members to visit. Both looked at each other and put on brave faces as they read each other's mind...

_It was now or never, right?_

**AN: YAY! We have kiddos! Breelynn and Bentley are here and healthy! I kinda wanted them to be married first, but who am I kidding? I couldn't hold off much longer. I love this story still and their dynamics are more realistic to me….but again, if you are still following me, thank you SOOOOO MUCH! **

**So, I will give you guys a little hint. Everyone SHOULD be excited to meet the girls, but who do you think they are the most worried about? HAHAHAHA…don't worry. Again, minimal angst where I'm concerned. **

**I should hopefully get around to updating all my stories soon. Please review! (kindly, if you don't mind)! I am extremely exhausted but I couldn't get this birth scene out of my head all day!**

**BTW, this story is coming to an end soon. (like, maybe 4 more chapters and an EPILOGUE) I love it and I was wondering if anyone was still reading it and would be interested in a sequel?**

**Happy Reading!**

**XOXO**


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: I posted an update for TMBA a few mins ago…trying to keep my promise and update this one and WSD tonight….**

**Keep me in your prayers! **

**Happy Reading!**

**XOXO**

_**Previously on TFTH….**_

"_Hi! Oh, my sweet girls, I'm so happy to meet you! Oh, Fitz!" Liv was extremely emotional as tears slid down her face. She didn't have a free hand to wipe them so Fitz did the honors, never taking his eyes off of his two newborn angels. _

"_Livvie, they are…they are just….Perfect. You know who I see when I look at them?" he asked. _

_Liv shook her head as she gently kissed each child._

"_Baby, thank you. THANK YOU SO MUCH!" Fitz stated as he started to cry as well. _

"_Do you want to hold your daughter?" Liv offered. _

"_Which one?" Fitz asked, which prompted a few snickers from the nurses on the other side of the room. Fitz reached for Breelynn since she was the closest to him and as he cradled her little head in his hands, he couldn't help but shed even more tears. _

"_Who Fitz?" Liv asked out of the blue. _

_Fitz looked confused, and then it dawned on him. He never finished his statement earlier. _

"_I see Elizabeth from every angle I look at them, Livvie." He finally confessed as he kissed Breelynn's forehead. _

_Liv started to sniffle, tears making their way yet again down her beautiful face. She too saw the resemblance, but didn't want to say anything out loud just yet for fear that she would indeed start to cry again. _

_Eventually, he was given Bentley as well and Liv was once more overcome with joy as she watched him bond with his girls for the first time._

_About an hour later, Liv and the girls were moved to a regular room on the Well Baby floor. The room was quiet as Liv and Fitz shared her bed, each holding a baby. There was a knock on the door and sure enough, it was a nurse asking if they were ready for family members to visit. Both looked at each other and put on brave faces as they read each other's mind... _

_It was now or never, right?_

**TFTH **

**CH 21**

The door opened and the first to enter was Rose and Maya. Both ladies were already wiping tears as they lay eyes on their granddaughters for the first time.

"Oh, Livvie!" Maya squealed as she made her way to the couple, Rose right on her heels. Both ladies watched in awe as Liv and Fitz exchanged glances and wiped silent tears all while smiling.

"Mommy…." Liv whimpered as her own mother kissed her forehead.

"Rose and I already flipped a coin-"

"Which is ridiculous since there are TWO babies…" Eli stated as he continued walking through the door. His voice would tell you he was annoyed, but the freakishly muscular intimidating man appeared normal as he balanced what seemed like every stuffed animal the gift store sold, what looked like over 20 large balloons, and two very LARGE gift bags. Fitz and Liv exchanged glances AGAIN, but this time, they both snickered under their breath.

Fiona made her presence known as she came over and kissed Liv on the temple. Rose and Maya were currently sharing the sink washing their hands vigourusly and excitedly. Fitz glanced around the room and noticed Natalie was missing.

Nathan walked in the room shortly thereafter.

"Nate, where's Nat?" Fitz asked.

"She said she had to use the bathroom, but she would be in here as soon as she was done." Nate answered, his own eyes glossing over at the sight of his new nieces.

Maya finished washing her hands first and made her way to her daughter, who was currently holding Bentley. She reached her hands out for her youngest granddaughter, cradling her against her chest, and crying silent tears as she eased back into a chair Nate pulled up to her and sat down with his assistance. It was now Rose's turn to grab a baby and Breelynn was in Fitz's arms. He too eased his daughter into his mother's arms and watched as Nate moved quickly to find her a chair and help her ease down into it. Rose and Maya locked eyes and smiled 1000 watt smiles at each other.

Bentley was the first to make any noise. Maya wanted to protest when Eli came to offer his services, but she knew she had to share the girls by now. After about 30 minutes, the girls had been passed around more than your local church collection plates. Liv and Fitz were still nestled in her bed, cuddled up and watching their girls get loved on.

Bentley was currently giving Rose a small fit, and Liv moved to sit up so she could take her back.

"Here, Rose, I can-"

"Can I try?"

Everyone in the room grew silent. Natalie had truthfully been standing outside the door for about 15 minutes, trying to calm her nerves and pep talk herself. She could NEVER hate a baby….right?

The thought that she might lay eyes on her new nieces and feel hatred toward them scared her to pieces and she had to stop and gather her wits before she entered the room.

"Of course, Natalie. Good luck with Bentley, though…" Liv laughed.

Natalie gave her a confused look and Fitz clarified.

"Yeah, she's allowed everyone to hold her for a good five minutes before she let them hear how good her lungs are." Everyone laughed as Natalie smiled a nervous smile and washed her hands. There was a small amount of tension in the room as Rose stood to offer her seat.

"No, Mom, you sit. I'll stand….if that's okay?" she asked the girls' parents.

Both Liv and Fitz AGAIN looked at each other then back at Natalie and nodded.

Natalie grabbed Bentley as her mother had. She cradled the baby in her arms and began to rock easily back and forth. Once she moved the blanket to get a better look at the babygirl, Natalie was in shock. She noticed the rose color of the baby's cheeks, her little button nose, and the way she pouted her lips like her mother. She gently moved the cap from the baby's head and ran her fingers through her hair, then placed it back on and allowed Bentley to grasp her finger. Bentley wiggled around a bit, but Natalie was quicker, picking up her pace of rocking back and forth. The newborn eventually cracked open her eyes, peeking through a mess of curly eyelashes. Her little eyes looked up at Natalie (or Natalie would swear they did anyway) and Natalie almost lost it.

"Oh my goodness!" Natalie squealed quietly.

Eli stood to rush over, almost being knocked over by Nate and Fitz. Maya was now holding Breelynn, but she looked on in concern as well.

"Nat?" Nate asked one he reached her. Natalie looked up and at the adults, wondering what they were doing. It suddenly dawned on her that they thought something was wrong and she shook her head no as tears slid down her face.

"Nothing…nothi…she, Nate, she has his eyes! Bentley has Fitz's eyes!" she exclaimed.

The room erupted in awwwws from everyone, and Maya decided to try to coerce Breelynn into showing her eyes as well. When she refused, everyone shared a laugh.

The entire room stayed another few hours until Liv started to yawn. She was truly exhausted, but didn't want the visitation to end. She loved her and Fitz's family and wished they could keep visiting.

"Livvie, you need your rest. They will come back-"

"TOMORROW." Everyone interrupted Fitz at the same time and burst out laughing. After goodbyes were said, Natalie was the last to hand Bentley back to her parents, to which Bentley immediately started to fuss.

"Looks like she's got a favorite already." Fitz smiled at his sister. Natalie looked shocked, but happy as she kissed the baby's cap covered head. She did the same for Breelynn, said her goodbyes, and everyone was gone.

Once the girls were down and asleep, Fitz assisted his fiancé in standing and walking to the restroom. He glanced back at the twins in their beds and smirked at his Livvie thinking how strong she must be.

"Livvie?"

"Hmmm?" she answered as she held his hand walking to the bathroom.

"Baby, you are the strongest person I know. I love you so much." Fitz answered when they finally got to the bathroom. Liv smiled at him and kissed his lips. There was nothing sexual about this kiss. The two shared passion as they celebrated their new bundles of joy. Fitz assisted Liv in taking a shower and getting comfortable and by the time they returned to her bed, Breelynn was awake and now ready to eat. Liv had studied and researched several ways to breastfeed and she and Fitz had already invested in two feeding pillows to assist in the process.

Of course, she was successful in her first attempt and as Breelynn finished her first meal with her mother, Bentley woke up and crunk the noise level to signal she too was hungry.

Breelynn cracked her eyes open as Liv broke the connection between breast and baby and she and Fitz finally got to see her eyes.

Same Grant blues as Bentley.

"Oh God…I need to run and stock up on ammunition. These beautiful ladies are gonna be trouble…." Fitz groaned. Liv smiled and kissed Breelynn as she traded with Fitz and got Bentley. Breelynn's sister proved to definitely be the feistier one as she grabbed onto Liv's gown and fingers as she ate and it would seem as though she were looking directly into her mother's eyes.

Liv moved Bentley to her lap and Breelynn was now on Fitz's lap. Both girls seemed to be looking at their respective parents faces and Fitz and Liv couldn't be happier.

This was the most beautiful and peaceful moment either of the adults had ever experienced in their lives.

**AN: I did it! Sorry again for the delay…let's just say I have a lot going on and have been trying to get my life back in order before I try writing fictional lives. **

**Thank you very much for all the PMs and reviews checking on me. I really appreciate it and you have no idea how great it felt knowing you all care about me. **

**I will try updating WSD tonight, but I won't promise….**

**If there's a miracle, BRAVE will be updated too! **

**Happy Reading!**

**XOXO**


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